Stephen Colbert has quoted Prince in a defiant Emmys acceptance speech.
The presenter took home the Best Talk Series award for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert during last night’s (September 14) ceremony, which came after his show was announced to be ending back in July.
Network CBS said the cancellation was a “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night”, though the move has caused controversy.
Some have speculated that it was motivated by parent company Paramount’s recent settlement with President Donald Trump over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with 2024 rival Kamala Harris, Colbert having criticised the decision by calling it a “big fat bribe”.
Stephen Colbert's Emmys speech was so good
"I have never loved my country more desperately. Stay strong, be brave, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor!" pic.twitter.com/uYTTCXZhS2
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) September 15, 2025
A merger between Paramount and Skydance – which has to be approved by the government – has also been mooted as a reason why Colbert is being taken off air, the presenter being one of Trump’s strongest critics.
During his speech, Colbert alluded to Trump and the controversy, telling the audience: “Sometimes you only truly know how much you love something when you get a sense that you might be losing it. 10 years later, in September of 2025, my friends, I have never loved my country more desperately. God bless America. Stay strong, be brave.”
Referencing Prince’s song ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, the presenter ended his speech by saying: “If de-elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor!”
Following the news that Colbert’s show was being cancelled, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.”
Responding on his show, Colbert said: “How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism?” before turning to an “Eloquence Cam” and declaring in a New York accent: “Go fuck yourself”.
Meanwhile, the other big winners at this year’s Emmys were The Pitt, The Studio and Adolescence, with the latter’s Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty among the acting winners.
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