If you’re an Emmy voter on the fence about who should win Outstanding Variety Talk Series this year, Stephen Colbert’s cheeky pitch to consider “The Late Show” doesn’t offer much differentiation.
“Twice Infected, Rested and Ready” reads the digital “for your consideration” ads circulating around entertainment industry publications Thursday, a reference to Colbert’s double go-round with Covid-19. The “Late Show” host, a staunch advocate of vaccinations and boosting, caught Covid and experienced symptoms not once, but twice – first in April, then again in May.
Unfortunately for Colbert, tangling with dueling Covid infections hardly makes him unique in the late-night space: Jimmy Kimmel also has had to give up the desk for a positive test, not once, but twice.
Both hosts have turned their illnesses into comedy fodder, poking fun at themselves, one another, and their late-night colleagues’ apparent lack of sympathy.
None of this probably matters to perennial Outstanding Variety Talk Series John Oliver, who has not reported being infected with Covid, and was not reached out to for comment.
