There was a tired gimmick of subtracting from a $100,000 Boys & Girls Club donation for every long acceptance speech, an incredibly dull opening monologue and a handful of self-deprecating jokes — “A lot of people are wondering, why am I hosting?” The stand-up comedian never quite rose to the occasion and couldn’t even land the punchline of a blue jeans joke, seemingly directed at Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad controversy, moments before she presented an award. Later on in the evening, Colbert accepted the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series (his first win in the top late-night category) and used the moment to not only strike a chord with those worried about the future of late-night TV, but also those concerned about the current state of American politics. There were a few subtle jabs at the Trump administration as Television Academy Chair Cris Abrego criticized Congress for voting to defund this year’s Governors Award honoree, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — a nearly 60-year-old cultural institution that’s being forced to shut down at the end of the year.
Author: Njera Perkins
Published at: 2025-09-15 21:28:01
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