Photo via Daily Mail

Emmy Awards' hidden political moments as TV's biggest stars avoid mentioning Trump before Colbert makes desperate attempt to dodge question backstage

Read the original at Daily Mail ↗
Cite

Koenig, M. (2026, September 15). Emmy Awards' hidden political moments as TV's biggest stars avoid mentioning Trump before Colbert makes desperate attempt to dodge question backstage. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16131915/Emmys-2026-political-trump-Sally-Field-Stephen-Colbert.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Daily Mail · collected 2026-09-15 · by Melissa Koenig

Quick Summary

At the 78th Emmy Awards, Hollywood's biggest stars avoided mentioning President Donald Trump by name during their acceptance speeches. However, there were still subtle political moments, such as Sally Field’s indirect criticism of Trump’s policies towards Canada and his threats to raise tariffs. Stephen Colbert, whose show won Outstanding Variety Series but was subsequently canceled, tried to evade questions about whether the cancellation was related to backlash from Trump, humorously redirecting attention away from the topic.
Written by AI on 2026-09-15, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The 2026 Emmy Awards, honoring television achievements from June 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026, took place on September 14 at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles. HBO Max's "The Pitt" led with 25 nominations and won Best Drama; it faced strong competition from newcomers like "Widow's Bay," which received eight awards including its lead actor Matthew Rhys. In comedy, "Hacks" and newcomer "Beef" were in fierce contention for the top prize. Notably absent was viral hit "Heated Rivalry." Mariska Hargitay hosted the event, and celebrities arrived on the red carpet wearing their best outfits to honor the late fashion designer Bob Mackie.

Written for “Emmys 2026 Awards Show” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 38 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Emmys 2026 Awards Show
Entertainment · 39 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 9% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Fox News
Hedges 0 of 8 claims Outlet record 69/100
BBC News
Hedges 0 of 5 claims Outlet record 68/100
BBC News
Hedges 1 of 54 claims Outlet record 68/100
NBC News
Outlet record 60/100
“Article A is a preview for the upcoming Emmy Awards, while Article B reports on political moments during a past Emmy Awards ceremony.”
NBC News
Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 60/100
New York Post
⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 1 of 21 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different topics: one discusses the lack of political commentary about Trump at the Emmy Awards, while the other talks about efforts to pass a federal film tax incentive bill supported by President Trump.”
NBC News
Hedges 1 of 26 claims Outlet record 60/100
“While both articles refer to the Emmys in 2026, Article A focuses on expectations and nominations, while Article B highlights a particular aspect of the ceremony's political atmosphere. They do not describe the same specific incident or occurrence.”
The Guardian
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A lists winners from a specific Emmy Awards ceremony, while Article B discusses political aspects and avoidance of mentioning Trump during the same night's event without focusing on the winners list.”
ABC News (AU)
Hedges 0 of 9 claims Outlet record 68/100
“While both articles discuss the 2026 Emmy Awards, Article A focuses on live updates and nominees, while Article B highlights a specific political trend during acceptance speeches. They describe different aspects of the event.”
CBC News
Hedges 0 of 8 claims Outlet record 74/100
“While both articles discuss the 2026 Emmy Awards, Article A focuses on fashion and highlights specific elements of the ceremony, while Article B focuses on the political context and actors' avoidance of mentioning President Trump. They describe different aspects of the event.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
35
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
9%
3 of 35 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
68/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
39
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-15 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 8535 article(s) · 20 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 20 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Melissa Koenig
80 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The current inquiry includes questions about whether her age was accurately recorded in immigration documents, an issue that officials reviewing her file in 2019 said they could not conclusively resolve because birth records for refugees from Somalia were often unreliable.
🔮 'This could be an extended closure,' it posted.
🔮 He then said he would continue campaigning through Election Day, but will continue to monitor any legal developments surrounding the ballot controversy after federal prosecutors said they are conducting an 'aggressive criminal investigation' into how a second candidate also named Dan Sullivan got his name on the ballot.
🔮 Nicki Minaj has hit out at New York Governor Kathy Hochul, calling her an 'evil woman' who will 'not escape God's wrath,' amid speculation that the rapper may be President Donald Trump's next press secretary.
🔮 Authorities in Utah had long believed the prolific serial killer may be responsible for the murder of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith, but the death remained a cold case ever since her body was first discovered in the woods on October 27, 1974.
🔮 John expressed concerns about reporting the bullying at school because his mom would get upset,' the officer wrote in the report.
🔮 'I never thought I would have to write these words,' she said.
🔮 Homeland Security Investigations officers are pictured at her Washington DC home on October 12 Authorities are also said to be looking into Omar's marriage history and finances If she had been 18 years old when her father became a naturalized citizen, she would have been considered an adult and would have to pursue her own immigration process.
🔮 As he then hung over an abyss, the photographer said he heard a voice - and looked up to see someone in a helicopter who told him that he could see him and that help was on the way.
🔮 It may now take another month before the long-term effects of the failed execution are realized, the lawyer said.
Also by Melissa Koenig
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 80 articles by Melissa Koenig →

Topics

Canada Daily Mail Democratic Hollywood Paramount

Subjects

Colbert PERSON · 9× Trump PERSON · 6× Paramount ORG · 4× Canada GPE · 3× Donald Trump PERSON · 2× Hollywood GPE · 2× Sally Field PERSON · 2× Stephen Colbert's PERSON · 2× Daily Mail ORG · 1× Field PERSON · 1×

Narrative

President Donald Trump was noticeably left out of the conversations as Hollywood's biggest stars took home Emmy Awards on Monday night Sally Field took aim at the embattled Paramount–Warner Bros. merger in her acceptance speech and mentioned President Trump's tariffs on Canada Stephen Colbert's Late Show took home the award for Outstanding Variety Series - even after the show was canceled But the female reporter tried to press Colbert to answer the question, prompting him to joke that he was 'deaf' in one ear.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-15
🔮 When Colbert then ended the show in May, he took a few jabs at his now former bosses at CBS and Paramount - using the song 'Linus and Lucy' from Peanuts specials without permission.

Claims (35 extracted, 3 hedged)

Hollywood's biggest stars noticeably did not mention President Donald Trump by name as they accepted their prestigious Emmy Awards on Monday night - but the ceremony still had its share of hidden political moments. asserted
ceremony → mention → moments
For years, notoriously liberal actors have taken jabs at the president while ranting about his policies as they make their acceptance speeches. asserted
they → take → speeches
But Monday night's show was different, with none of the victors mentioning the commander-in-chief - as Trump noticeably did not mention the awards show on his Truth Social platform. Yet the 78th Emmy Awards were not completely devoid of politics, with Sally Field taking a subtle jab at the embattled Paramount–Warner Bros. merger and defending the US' northern neighbor Canada. asserted
Field → mention → neighbor
Field, a longtime Democratic supporter, referenced Trump's threats to raise tariffs on Canada and establish it as the 51st state when she accepted the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Netflix's Remarkably Bright Creatures. asserted
she → reference → Creatures
Stephen Colbert's Late Show also took home the award for Outstanding Variety Series - even after the show was canceled. asserted
show → take → Series
When he was then asked after the ceremony whether he thought his show was nixed because of backlash from Trump, the now-ousted comedian desperately tried to dodge the question. asserted
comedian → ask → question
'What - that's a beautiful dress,' Colbert said, turning his attention instead to the female reporter standing next to him. asserted
Colbert → say → him
President Donald Trump was noticeably left out of the conversations as Hollywood's biggest stars took home Emmy Awards on Monday night Sally Field took aim at the embattled Paramount–Warner Bros. merger in her acceptance speech and mentioned President Trump's tariffs on Canada Stephen Colbert's Late Show took home the award for Outstanding Variety Series - even after the show was canceled But the female reporter tried to press Colbert to answer the question, prompting him to joke that he was 'deaf' in one ear. asserted
he → leave → ear
'What did you say?' he then asked the male reporter who initially questioned him about his thoughts on Trump. asserted
who → say → Trump
'You wanted to know who the most important member of my staff is? asserted
member → want → staff
Network executives have claimed the cancelation of Colbert's show was 'purely a financial decision.' asserted
cancelation → claim → show
However, the announcement came just days after Colbert called Paramount/CBS' $16 million lawsuit settlement with President Trump 'a big fat bribe.' asserted
Colbert → come → Trump
Paramount was also in the midst of a multibillion-dollar merger with the movie studio Skydance, which requires the government approval of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). asserted
which → require → Commission
When Colbert then ended the show in May, he took a few jabs at his now former bosses at CBS and Paramount - using the song 'Linus and Lucy' from Peanuts specials without permission. uncertain
he → end → permission
He also had famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson claim in a skit that the network created an 'interdimensional wormhole' when it canceled his show even though it was 'number one on late night.' uncertain
it → have → night
But Colbert's acceptance speech was much more subdued, using the opportunity to instead advocate for his writing staff. Colbert used the opportunity on Monday night to advocate for his writing staff He pointed out that 'if you like the comedy tonight, my old writers wrote it,' and said that late-night shows are a 'fantastic incubator to come in' and learn how to work on a deadline. 'That is the future of the business that we have to look after,' he declared. asserted
he → use → that
Colbert then told the audience he had 'great news' for the industry: His writers are now available to work. asserted
writers → tell → industry
'Hire them,' he urged. asserted
he → hire → them
'They will make your show better and they will make your day easier.' asserted
day → make → ?
He also thanked the 'thousands' of people at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles who he has interviewed on the show, but said his 'favorite guest' is his wife, Evelyn McGee Colbert, whom he called the 'only audience I really care about. asserted
I → thank → whom
'Yours is the laugh that I want for the rest of my life,' Colbert lovingly told his wife. asserted
Colbert → want → life
'I love you.' asserted
I → love → you
He then concluded his speech by thanking his viewers. asserted
He → conclude → viewers
We hope you enjoyed the show. asserted
you → hope → show
We had a great time doing it for you. asserted
We → have → you
That's it, thank you. asserted
That → thank → you
We'll catch you on the flip.' asserted
We → catch → flip
Field spoke out against Trump's policies as she took home her fourth Emmy award Meanwhile, Sally Field defended Canada as she took home her fourth Emmy award. asserted
she → speak → award
In her speech Monday night, Field praised director Olivia Newman for how she filmed the Pacific Northwest as if it was another character in the Netflix film Remarkably Bright Creatures - leading her to start a pro-Canada rant. 'And Canada, blessed Canada, our neighbors, our friends,' she said while pumping her fist, in an apparent nod to Donald Trump's dueling tariffs with Canada and his taunts that the nation could become the 51st state of the US. uncertain
nation → praise → US
I have been so grateful and so proud to be a part of this community, the arts, for 62 years or something,' she said before launching into her rant, as fellow winner and Widow's Bay star Matthew Rhys was seen looking puzzled in the audience. asserted
Rhys → say → audience
'With art, we matter. asserted
we → matter → art
Our voices matter,' she continued. asserted
she → matter → ?
'Our diversity, our unique storytelling matters. asserted
diversity → matter → ?
'We can't let those voices be silenced, or compromised or merged,' she said, adding extra emphasis on the last word to turn the audience's attention to Paramount Skydance's attempt to buy up Warner Bros. The merger move has been viciously opposed by numerous forces in Hollywood, including the actors union SAG-AFTRA, while the Writers Guild of America went as far as to sue to block the merger. asserted
Guild → let → merger
Twelve state attorneys general, led by California's Rob Bonta, have since joined the lawsuit to prevent Paramount from buying Warner Bros. asserted
attorneys → lead → Bros.
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support