From Vanity Fair · Vanity Fair · · 2m
Colbert wins an Emmy after CBS killed the show
The 78th Emmys handed Stephen Colbert a trophy for a show that no longer exists, and gave Widow's Bay nearly everything else.
In brief
The 78th Emmys handed Stephen Colbert a trophy for a show that no longer exists, and gave Widow's Bay nearly everything else. The 2026 Emmys rewarded shows that already ended, turning the night into a series of goodbyes rather than a look at what's next. Originally reported by Vanity Fair.
A first-time host, a loaded field
Mariska Hargitay made her Emmys hosting debut at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards.
The Pitt led the pack
The medical procedural came in with 25 nominations, just ahead of Hacks at 24 for its fifth and final season.
Two rookies crashed the party
Comedy-horror series Widow's Bay pulled 19 nominations for its debut season, and Vince Gilligan's Pluribus landed 18 for its first.
Katie Dippold's night
She took outstanding writing for a comedy series for Widow's Bay, and the room treated it as the start of a takeover.
“It's literally Katie Dippold's world and we are all living in it.”
Colbert wins posthumously, sort of
Outstanding variety series went to The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, months after CBS controversially cancelled it.
John Oliver's streak snaps
Last Week Tonight lost the category it had owned for a decade. Voters moved Oliver around over the years and he kept winning, until Colbert.
“This is the first time Oliver hasn't won an Emmy in ten years.”
A speech for the unemployed
Colbert shouted out his now jobless staff, calling them all tech avail, and made the case for late night as a training ground for young writers.
“they're all tech avail”
One laugh he still wants
Colbert said the only laugh he cares about for the rest of his life is his wife Evie's. Amanda Peet and David Benioff kissed in the audience.
Widow's Bay ran the table
The show swept the major comedy categories including Hiro Murai for directing, echoing the Schitt's Creek and Fleabag sweeps of years past.
“Sometimes, the Emmys really fall in love with one show.”
Michael J. Fox brought the room up
He accepted the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award with a speech about hiding his Parkinson's diagnosis early on, fearing the industry would write him off.
The main idea
The 2026 Emmys rewarded shows that already ended, turning the night into a series of goodbyes rather than a look at what's next.
