Stephen Colbert was the first presenter out of the gate at Sunday night’s Emmy Awards on CBS and he was met with a hero’s welcome by the crowd, who leapt to their feet to support the late-night host after his untimely cancellation earlier this year as an apparent gift to Donald Trump.
“Thank you very much, you are very kind,” Colbert said from the stage as the applause continued. “Sit down! Thank you very much, we’ve got to go!”
When the auditorium of Hollywood heavyweights finally sat down, Colbert addressed his current situation. “While I have your attention, is anyone hiring?” he asked. “Because I’ve got 200 very qualified candidates with me here tonight who will be available in June,” he added, referring to his large staff who will be all be out of a job when The Late Show ends after its current season next May.
Colbert then pulled out his resume and outdated headshot, joking, “I think it still works.”
“I only have the one, so Harrison Ford, could you get this to Spielberg?” he asked, passing the paper down to the 83-year-old first-time Emmy nominee for Apple TV+’s Shrinking.
Colbert’s bit of celebrated self-deprecation came after a more politely received opening from the night’s host, stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze, who was joined by a handful SNL cast members to do a riff on his classic George Washington bit. It also included a dig at CBS, which is airing the Emmys. In character as the inventor of the television, Bargatze referring to CBS as the “network for white people.”
The ovation for Colbert may have foreshadowed a potential win in the Outstanding Talk Series category, which he has never won in his 10 years hosting The Late Show. His show won its first directing Emmy at last weekend’s Creative Arts ceremony and even his competition, Jimmy Kimmel, has been encouraging voters to support Colbert in solidarity against Trump.
Even Sydney Sweeney could be seen in the crowd applauding Colbert as he ended his intro and presented the first award of the night to Seth Rogen for The Studio.
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