Stephen’s banner evening came two months after CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show after a decade with him at the helm—amid what the network said was a financial decision. Despite the lights dimming on his show, the audience inside the Peacock Theater proved that Stephen’s light is brighter than ever as he was greeted by multiple standing ovations from the star-studded audience throughout the broadcast.

Eric Charbonneau/Apple TV+ via Getty Images

“It was really nice,” Stephen said of the gesture. “I’ll tell you this. I came out here a lot when I was a young man looking for work. Winning one of these and having the audience stand up is way better than coming off the pilot season. I was very grateful, and I hope I know that it wasn’t just for me, it was for all these people who do the work every day who really make it possible. So, it was really gratifying. I’m incredibly grateful.”

And while Stephen was amazed by the applause, his wife of 32 years Evelyn “Evie” McGee-Colbert knew it was a long time coming.

“The way he’s such a great leader, the kindness with which he runs his show,” Evie said of what she admires about her husband to Zuri Hall on the red carpet on Live From E!: 2025 Emmys. “They are 200 friends, and they love each other so much. I don’t think anybody has a sense of what it’s like to work there unless you’re backstage and hey work for each other in such a beautiful way.”

(Reporting by Alex Cramer)

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