Stephen Colbert still has plenty of time before "The Late Show" goes off the air in May, and he's not thinking next steps quite yet. First off, he had to do an opening bit at the Emmys.

"Is anyone hiring? Because I've got 200 very qualified candidates here tonight who will be available in June," Colbert said, getting a standing ovation from the crowd at Sunday's 77th Emmy Awards. He came out to announce best actor in a comedy series but also brought jokes and a headshot from when he was much younger.

"I haven't had a chance to update my headshot in a bit but I think it still works. I think I'm in there somewhere," Colbert quipped. "I only have have one (copy). Harrison Ford, can you get this to Spielberg?"

As far his day job goes, "we've got nine more months of the show, and we're going to have a really good time doing it," Colbert told an interviewer during E!'s "Live from E!" red-carpet Emmys coverage.

What he is pondering – more like dreaming about – is an Emmy win for his crew. "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" is up for outstanding talk series against "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and Colbert's former home, "The Daily Show." Colbert's version of "The Late Show" has never won – "The Late Night with John Oliver" took home eight consecutive Emmy trophies while the "Daily Show" notched two wins, including in 2024. (Colbert's old show, "The Colbert Report," won the outstanding variety series Emmy in 2013 and 2014.)

"The people who do the show every day teach me what it's like to be a professional, and I would be very grateful if we could win it for them because they deserve all the recognition they can get. I get all the applause and I get all the fame. And I'm fine with that," Colbert joked. "But I also want them to get a little recognition."

Colbert's coworkers are "200 friends," said the TV host's wife, Evelyn McGee-Colbert, who also complimented her husband's leadership and kindness. "They love each other so much, and I don't think anybody has a sense of what it's like there unless you're backstage. They work for each other, and in a beautiful way."

Contributing: Wendy Naugle

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Is anyone hiring?': Stephen Colbert gets standing ovation at Emmys

Reporting by Brian Truitt, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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