Stephen Colbert Awarded the Walter Bernstein Honor by WGA East
Stephen Colbert to Receive Walter Bernstein Award from WGA East
As The Late Show approaches its conclusion in May, Stephen Colbert has been named the recipient of the Walter Bernstein Award from the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE). The award ceremony is scheduled for March 8 in New York, coinciding with the WGA’s West Coast ceremony in Los Angeles.
Established in 2017, the Bernstein Award recognizes a member who has "demonstrated with creativity, grace, and bravery a willingness to confront social injustice in the face of adversity." This prestigious award has only been given twice before, to Jelani Cobb and Ron Nyswaner.
In a statement regarding the honor, Colbert remarked, “It’s a great honor to receive the Walter Bernstein award from our Guild, and I assume this is mostly for my work on The Dana Carvey Show (possibly available on Blu-Ray!)”
Tom Fontana, WGAE President, emphasized the significance of the award in his statement. He noted that Colbert is being recognized for his courageous stance against Donald Trump and the CBS parent company’s $16 million settlement related to an edited interview with Vice President Kamala Harris on 60 Minutes. "Walter would be proud to see the award go to Colbert,” Fontana stated. “Colbert put his career on the line to fight back against a threat to democracy that’s much greater than just the loss of the beloved Late Show. Stephen Colbert has built an empire by speaking truth to power, and we’re beyond proud to have him as a WGAE member.”
In recent developments, CBS announced that the cancellation of The Late Show was a "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night." Colbert reported that network executives indicated a shift away from late-night programming due to profitability concerns. Notably, the show’s cancellation occurred only two days after Colbert characterized Paramount Global’s settlement with Trump as a “big fat bribe.”
Colbert has been the host, writer, and executive producer of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning The Late Show with Stephen Colbert since 2015. Before this, he served as a correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from 1997 to 2005 and hosted The Colbert Report from 2005 to 2014.
The honorary award will be presented to Colbert by Robert Smigel.
