Photo from www.michaelcruzkayne.com
LOS ANGELES — Filipino-American comedian and writer Michael Cruz Kayne won a 2026 Emmy as part of the writing team behind CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, adding another television honor to a career that has included multiple Emmy nominations and an earlier win.
The Late Show won Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series during the first night of the 78th Emmy Awards on Sept. 5 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
The Television Academy lists Kayne among the credited writers receiving the award, alongside Stephen Colbert, head writers Ariel Dumas and Jay Katsir and other members of the program’s writing staff.
The victory was not Kayne’s first Emmy. He was also among the credited writers when The Late Show won Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series in 2022.
Academy records show that Kayne received additional writing nominations for The Late Show in 2021 and 2023. He was also nominated in 2021 for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special for Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020: Democracy’s Last Stand Building Back America Great Again Better 2020.
Kayne describes himself on his official website as a Filipino-American comedian, actor and writer based in New York. He has worked as a writer on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert while also performing in television and comedy.
The 2026 Emmys brought additional recognition for The Late Show. The program won Outstanding Variety Series at the Sept. 14 ceremony, which concluded the three-night Emmy schedule.
