Stephen Colbert Will Be Returning To Late-Night With A Little Help From Jimmy Kimmel

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Stephen Colbert is returning to late-night TV and will appear as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! today, one night after he and his old CBS program snagged a statuette at the Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday.

Kimmel’s audience erupted when the host confirmed LateNighter.com’s report about the booking on Thursday.

“Maybe I’ll let him sit here, I don’t know,” said Kimmel while gesturing toward his desk.

The timing is noteworthy as the former Late Show host — who has been away from the late-night TV since turning off the lights at the Ed Sullivan Theater in May — could build off the momentum of six Emmys that his program has won in the lead-up to Monday’s ceremony.

Former Late Show executive producer Tom Purcell — while accepting the Emmy for Writing for a Variety Series earlier this month — thanked the staff, crew and “everybody who keeps late-night going” in his speech. “That includes ‘[Last Week Tonight with John] Oliver,’ ‘Daily Show,’ [Jimmy] Kimmel [Live!],’ all the other shows — it is a super important institution in this country. And, keep the flame burning, guys,” he said:

He also praised the show’s “fearless leader” in Colbert, calling him the “best host” and “best boss in the world.”

While Colbert’s show won the award for Outstanding Variety Series at Monday’s ceremony, for which Kimmel's show was also nominated, Colbert has publicly backed Kimmel in the category, returning a favor for his friend in the process.

Kimmel used his Emmys campaign to support Colbert ahead of last year’s ceremony after CBS pulled the plug on his friend and fellow Trump critic’s program for “purely financial reasons.”

The Late Show would go on to win its first Emmy Award the next month.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.

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