Stephen Colbert has been set as the host for the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Deadline reports that CBS and the Television Academy made the announcement today, much earlier than expected. This will be the first time Colbert has hosted the Emmys, and the first time in a long time that CBS has called upon one of its late night hosts for the job. The Primetime Emmy Awards are set to air on Sunday, September 17th.
Colbert has made a career out of being host, from his long stint on The Colbert Report to hosting The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He also hosted The 39th Annual Kennedy Center Honors and a live election special on Showtime. His response to getting the hosting job is classic Colbert.
“This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys, period. Both in person and around the globe,” said Colbert.
The 2016 Emmy Awards were hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, who is also set to host this year’s Oscar ceremony. It is oddly early for CBS and the Television Academy to be making this announcement, though it sort of makes up for the late announcement of Kimmel as this year’s Oscars host.
“Stephen is the ultimate master of ceremonies with award-winning creative talents, and as we’ve seen the past few months, he has a fearless passion for live television,” said CBS EVP specials/music/live events Jack Sussman.
“We are thrilled that Stephen Colbert will be bringing his Emmy-winning comedic talent to hosting this year’s Emmy Awards,” said TV Academy chairman and CEO Hayma Washington.
The nominees for the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced Thursday, July 13th at a ceremony at the Academy’s Wolf Theatre at the Saban Media Center. The Awards show will air on Sunday, September 17th on CBS.