NEWSStephen Colbert's 'Late Show' Writers Join Mariska Hargitay's Emmy Awards Team
Mariska Hargitay revealed that Stephen Colbert’s former writers joined her Emmy team.
Aug. 21 2026, Published 8:14 a.m. ET
Stephen Colbert’s Late Show writers have found their next assignment.
Mariska Hargitay revealed in a Deadline interview published August 18 that she is working with writers from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as she prepares to host this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards.
Mariska Hargitay worked with Stephen Colbert’s writers to develop ideas for the ceremony.
“We’re at the beginning stages, and so we’re throwing out a lot of different ideas,” Hargitay said. “I’m working with an incredible team of writers — the writers from Colbert… We’ve been meeting a lot and discussing a lot and pitching a lot of ideas. We’re pitching so many ideas.”
A New Stage After CBS
The former ‘Late Show' writers moved to a new Emmy stage after the show ended.
The gig gives Colbert’s former writing staff a major live-TV platform just months after The Late Show aired its final episode in May.
Paramount said the cancellation was made for “purely financial” reasons, though the decision came after Colbert repeatedly clashed with President Donald Trump and criticized Paramount’s $16.5 million settlement with the president over his complaints about a 2024 interview with his political opponent.
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Stephen Colbert’s former staff celebrated a strong Emmy showing with nine nominations.
After the show ended, its writers posted their own Emmy campaign video on Instagram, saying CBS was not mounting one for them.
“CBS is not doing a For Your Consideration campaign for us, so, ‘for strictly financial reasons,’ the @colbertlateshow writers made our own #FYC campaign,” the caption read.
That homemade push did not hurt. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earned nine Emmy nominations this year, its most ever, including Outstanding Variety Series, Writing for a Variety Series and Directing for a Variety Series.
The ‘Mariska Emmys’
Mariska Hargitay prepared to bring her own style to the Primetime Emmy Awards.
Hargitay, best known for playing Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU, acknowledged she is not the obvious comedy-host pick. Recent Emmy hosts have included Nate Bargatze, Eugene Levy, Dan Levy and Kenan Thompson.
“I’m not a comedian, so that’s not my thing,” Hargitay told Deadline. “I think I’ll do it a little bit different than they would. And I think that they asked me to do it because of that.”
She said humor is more natural to her than some viewers may realize.
“If you came to the set of SVU and you saw how we cope with things and the long hours and the subject matter, there’s a lot of joking because it’s a marathon,” she said. “I think I’ve always used humor to cope with everything.”
The Primetime Emmy Awards air live September 14 on NBC and Peacock from the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live.
