What To Know
- Stephen Colbert accepted two 2026 TCA Awards, appearing with a new gray goatee in his video message.
- The Late Show, which aired its final episode in May, was honored for Outstanding Achievement in Variety, Talk or Sketch.
- Colbert also received the TCA Career Achievement Award, humorously accepting from a bathtub.
Stephen Colbert unveiled a new look this week as he accepted two Television Critics Association awards, including one on behalf of The Late Show, which aired its final ever episode back in May.
The 2026 TCA Awards, presented remotely this year, honored The Late Show with an award for Outstanding Achievement in Variety, Talk or Sketch. The usually clean-shaven Colbert appeared in a video to accept the trophy, sporting a fetching gray goatee.
“Hi TCA, thanks so much for this award on behalf of everybody at The Late Show,” Colbert said. “We are honored to be the outstanding achievement in talk, variety, and/or sketch. I think we did and/or many of these this past year.”
Last July, CBS cited financial reasons for axing The Late Show, claiming the show loses $40 million annually. At the time, some critics argued the axing was politically motivated, with parent company Paramount hoping to appease President Trump amid its merger with Skydance, which required government approval.
“I couldn’t have been prouder of our folks,” Colbert continued in his video acceptance. “I can’t believe how focused they were and how hard they worked and how much joy we had, given the fact that we knew we were running straight into a brick wall at the end.”
He ended his message saying, “Hey, give my best to TV. I miss it. A lot of fond memories.”
Colbert was also honored with the 2026 TCA Career Achievement Award “for his contributions to the medium over the past three decades — from voiceover rolls, to sketch performer, satirist, and one of America’s most trusted talk show hosts.”
The comedian appeared again via video message to accept the award, this time from an empty bathtub. “I thought I would class things up a little bit with a bow tie and blue blazer and come to you from the bathtub because it allows me to bathe in, to wallow in, as it were, the adulation that I feel coming my way,” he quipped.
“I never in a million years imagined that I would get a lifetime achievement award,” Colbert added. “I wasn’t entirely sure I would have a lifetime, let alone any achievements within it. The fact that you think I did that is both shocking and just delightful.”
You can watch Colbert’s acceptance speeches and check out his new beard in the videos above, and let us know your thoughts below.