“The right thing to happen was for [Colbert] to win. The funniest thing to happen would have been if you had won,” Oliver told Kimmel. “Most of me wanted him to win. A part of me, the part of me that I like more, just wanted to see your face go, ‘Oh, no. Not like this.'”

Colbert received multiple standing ovations during the 2025 Emmy Awards, the audience showing him significant support in response to CBS’ cancellation of the Late Show in July. The Late Show‘s final episode will air next May, meaning that Sunday’s award ceremony may have been its last opportunity to take home an Emmy.

“I was like, ‘Oh shit,'” said Kimmel. “‘If we win, this is a disaster.'”

“You would have been fucked,” agreed Oliver. “He had his whole staff there with him. You’d have been booed onto the stage…. You can see why a part of me, that as I’m saying it is now getting bigger, did kind of want that to happen.”

CBS has been widely criticised for axing the Late Show after more than 30 years on air, with some (including Colbert) suspecting the move was an effort to gain President Donald Trump’s favour — and thus his approval for the Skydance/Paramount merger. Colbert has been a vocal critic of Trump, the president stating that he “absolutely love[ed] that Colbert got fired.”