Stephen Colbert Tells Emmy Voters to Back Rival Jimmy Kimmel: "He Deserves an Emmy"

Stephen Colbert posted a video on social media urging Emmy voters to choose Jimmy Kimmel — his direct competitor in the same awards category — with the final day of voting looming.

Colbert, bearded and sitting outdoors on a windswept coastline with a tablet on his lap, introduced himself with a nod to his recent exit from late-night television. "Stephen Colbert here, at the end of the world," he said. He noted there were 24 hours left in Emmy voting. "I think we can all agree that Jimmy Kimmel deserves an Emmy. I don't care if you've never even seen his show, you know he deserves an Emmy." He then flipped his tablet toward the camera to show a photo of Kimmel: "Besides, look how cute he is! Anyway, please consider thinking that Jimmy deserves an Emmy. I do. I love you." (Variety)

The endorsement video, released on a Tuesday (LateNighter), returns a favour from the previous Emmy cycle. When CBS announced it would cancel The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Kimmel mounted a public campaign on Colbert's behalf, including a West Hollywood billboard that read "I'm voting for Stephen." Colbert went on to win the outstanding talk series Emmy that year, competing against Kimmel. (Variety)

This year the landscape has shifted. The Television Academy merged the former talk and scripted variety categories into a single outstanding variety series category, meaning nightly talk shows now compete directly with weekly sketch and satire programmes. The five nominees are Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, and Saturday Night Live. (Variety)

The Late Show ended in May after an 11-year run on CBS. Its final season earned nine Emmy nominations, including outstanding variety series and outstanding writing for a variety series. Colbert also made a virtual appearance to accept the award for outstanding achievement in variety, talk or sketch from the Television Critics Association Awards. (Variety)

CBS has kicked off its own Emmy campaign push for The Late Show (Deadline), making Colbert's pitch for Kimmel a striking cross-network gesture from a nominee whose show is still on the ballot.

Kimmel's own Emmy campaign video took a different angle, assembled largely from clips of President Donald Trump repeatedly attacking him and his show. (Variety)

The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards are set for 14 September.