The last year been a rough time for talk show hosts (comparatively), but one of the nice things is seeing them all work together. And that even extends to this year’s Emmys competition: Stephen Colbert, having retreated to the wintery shores of New Zealand after the end of The Late Show, has released an Instagram video campaigning not for his own nominated show, but for Jimmy Kimmel’s.
“There’s 24 hours left in Emmy voting, and if you’re anything like me, you haven’t even started yet,” he says sitting in front of a cliffside that he refers to as “the end of the world.” “First up, we have Outstanding Variety Series. Kind of a weird voting system this year, but you know, I think we can all agree that Jimmy Kimmel deserves an Emmy. I don’t care if you’ve never even seen his show. You know he deserves an Emmy. Besides, look how cute he is! Anyway, please consider thinking that Jimmy deserves an Emmy. I do. I love you.”
Kimmel had thrown his support behind The Late Show during the show’s Emmy campaign last year (successfully so, might we add), and Colbert is now clearly returning the favor.
The video comes after CBS put together it’s own thirsty For Your Consideration ad for The Late Show, which featured clips of the star-studded and triumphant last leg of the show without ever hinting at why it was the final season. It’s because they canceled it, a decision some argue was made to appease the Trump administration, if that wasn’t clear.
Kimmel has also faced his fair share of Trump administration ire and corporate retaliation in the past 12 months. Last September, ABC pulled him off the air after the FCC threatened to pull the network’s affiliate license. Immense backlash followed, with many celebrities publicly showcasing their support for Kimmel. He was back on screens mere days later.
The saga has continued, with Kimmel standing his ground on multiple occasions, even delivering an alternate White House Correspondents’ Dinner monologue in April, and the FCC taking further steps to retaliate, including “preparing to call in all of the TV licenses for Disney/ABC for early renewal.” After what Colbert went through with CBS, it’s easy to see why he has a special level of empathy for Kimmel’s ongoing conflict.
As Colbert referenced in his post, this year’s Emmy voting for Outstanding Variety Series is slightly different. The category is now designated as an area award, meaning multiple of the five nominees (Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show, Saturday Night Live, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver) can win.
Notably, Kimmel has extended an open invitation to Colbert to guest host Jimmy Kimmel Live! His show also took the top spot in terms of late night viewership following the end of The Late Show.
Revisit our review of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s finale, which we called a “joyful act of defiance.” You can also check out our own Wren Graves’ editorial on the President’s war with late night hosts.
