South Asian American comedy writer and performer Pratima Mani has won an Emmy as part of the writing team behind “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” The Television Academy announced the winners during the first night of the 78th Emmy Awards on Sept. 5 in Los Angeles.

The CBS program received the award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. Mani shared the honor with the show’s team of head writers, staff writers and contributors, including Stephen Colbert.

The recognition follows three previous nominations for Mani in the same category. She was nominated for her work on “The Late Show” in 2021, 2022 and 2023 before returning to the category as part of the program’s 2026 team.

Based in New York City, Mani has developed a career spanning television writing, live comedy, acting and independent filmmaking. Before joining “The Late Show,” she wrote for The New Yorker, Reductress and CollegeHumor’s Featured Players program. She has also performed in New York’s comedy community and participated in Spotify’s Sound Up U.S. podcast program.

Mani’s work frequently draws upon South Asian identity and the immigrant experience. She wrote and starred in the short film “Stitched,” a dark comedy about a South Asian diasporic woman navigating romance and cultural identity in New York.

The film, inspired by Mani’s experiences, screened at HollyShorts, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, CAAMFest and other festivals. It received the award for best short film at the International Film Festival of South Asia in Toronto.

In addition to her Emmy recognition, Mani previously shared in the Peabody Award received by “The Late Show” and earned two Writers Guild of America Award nominations. Her latest honor places her among the South Asian American creatives contributing to nationally broadcast comedy and late-night television.

The Emmy recognizes both Mani’s individual career milestone and the collaborative writing that shaped the program’s final season.

Key Takeaways About Pratima Mani

• She won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.
• The award recognized “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
• She previously received three Emmy nominations in the category.
• Her career spans television writing, comedy, acting and filmmaking.
• Her short film “Stitched” explores South Asian diasporic identity.