Stephen Colbert has received an anti-censorship award from the Before Columbus Foundation, a nonprofit based in Oakland, California that champions diversity in U.S. literature and culture. The award was announced Wednesday as part of the 47th annual American Book Awards.
Colbert’s 11-year tenure as host of “The Late Show” ended in May 2026. During his time on air, he became known for his criticism of President Donald Trump, a feud that defined much of his run on the CBS program. CBS cited economic reasons for the cancellation, though Colbert and others have questioned that explanation.
The Before Columbus Foundation, founded in 1976 by author-playwright-publisher Ishmael Reed, established the American Book Awards to recognize outstanding literary achievement without restrictions or bias. The foundation’s mission emphasizes the entire spectrum of America’s diverse literary community, with no quotas for diversity—winners simply reflect it as a natural process.
Colbert shares the anti-censorship prize with Mitchell Kaplan, founder of Books & Books, an independent bookseller in Coral Gables, Florida. Longtime Grove/Atlantic publisher Morgan Entrekin and Roger Malina, executive editor of the academic journal Leonardo, received separate editor and publisher awards in the same ceremony.
The foundation also honored a diverse range of literary works, from Nicholas Boggs’ biography “Baldwin,” a study of writer James Baldwin, to John Fugelsang’s religious critique “Separation of Church and Hate” and the poetry collection “Variations in Blue” by Adela Najarro. Novelist-playwright Karen Tei Yamashita received a lifetime achievement prize.
Sources
- Associated Press — Reported Colbert’s anti-censorship award, his 11-year tenure at “The Late Show,” and the context of CBS’s cancellation decision.
- U.S. News & World Report — Provided details on the 47th annual American Book Awards, co-winners of the anti-censorship award, and other recipients honored by the Before Columbus Foundation.
- Before Columbus Foundation (official sources) — Confirmed the foundation’s founding in 1976 by Ishmael Reed, its mission to champion diversity in U.S. literature and culture, and the American Book Awards’ stated purpose to recognize literary excellence without restrictions or bias.
