Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, John Oliver, Jon Stewart & ‘SNL’ To Battle It Out For Bumper Late-Night Emmy, Or Emmys
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- The Emmys merged the Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Scripted Variety Series categories, nominating The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Saturday Night Live for Outstanding Variety Series.
- John Oliver has won 10 consecutive Emmys — seven in Outstanding Variety Talk Series and three in Outstanding Scripted Variety Series since that category launched in 2023 — making him a heavy favorite to extend his streak.
- The TV Academy reclassified the category as an 'area award,' meaning any nominee that reaches a 90% vote threshold can 'merit' an Emmy, opening the door for multiple trophies on September 14.
- Stephen Colbert took last year's Outstanding Talk Series Emmy shortly after CBS canceled The Late Show, days after he labeled Paramount's settlement with President Trump's administration a 'big fat bribe.'
- Jimmy Kimmel was temporarily pulled from air by ABC after conservatives attacked his comments following Charlie Kirk's death; last year he installed L.A. billboards telling voters he would vote for Colbert.
- SNL claimed six straight Emmys from 2017 to 2022 in Outstanding Scripted Variety Series, and its 50th anniversary special won Outstanding Variety Special last year.
Why it matters: The category merger and 90% threshold turn a single-race Emmy into a potential multi-winner event — a structural shift that could reward both Oliver's unprecedented streak and the politically charged storylines around Colbert's cancellation and Kimmel's suspension, both linked to pressure from the Trump administration and conservative media. The September 14 ceremony will be the first real test of whether the TV Academy can hand out more than one statue in the same category.
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