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A visual history · Emmys

The winners who defined Variety Special (Pre-Recorded).

8 ceremonies, 2018–2025. 8 different winners.

Who won most recently?
Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2025.
  1. Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American HumorNetflix
  2. Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of MagicCBS
  3. Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + LoveNBC
  4. Adele: One Night OnlyCBS
  5. HamiltonDisney+
  6. Dave Chappelle: Sticks & StonesNetflix
Years explored
2018–2025
Different winners
8
Category leader
No leader
About this record

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) was first awarded in 2018, so it does not run the full 1951–2025 window.

It took over from Outstanding Variety Special.

2018–2025

8 ceremonies

20182025

01 / The reigns

8 winners shaped this category.

The timeline turns the 2018–2025 record into a sequence of reigns. Longer bands reveal sustained runs; color shows the credited network.

One band per year, because no winner has gone back-to-back in the years on record. Colored by network; scroll sideways for the full run.
Dave Chappelle: Equanimity'18
Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney Live from Liverpool'19
Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones'20
Hamilton'21
Adele: One Night Only'22
Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love'23
Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic'24
Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor'25

02 / The power map

Who stood behind the winners?

CBS leads the recorded network credits with 3 wins, 2018–2025. The full distribution shows whether power was concentrated or shared.

CBS3 wins
Netflix3 wins
Disney+1 win
NBC1 win
Wins by network
  1. CBS338%
  2. Netflix338%
  3. Disney+113%
  4. NBC113%

04 / The archive

Every year.
Every winner.

The complete reference behind the story, showing 2018–2025. Open any year to see the rest of the field when nominee records are available.

YearWinnerNetwork
2025Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
beat 5 others
  • Adam Sandler: Love You
  • Ali Wong: Single Lady
  • Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years
  • Sarah Silverman: PostMortem
  • Your Friend, Nate Bargatze
Netflix
2024Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic
beat 4 others
  • Billy Joel: The 100th - Live at Madison Square Garden
  • Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer
  • Nikki Glaser: Someday You'll Die
  • Trevor Noah: Where Was I
CBS
2023Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love
beat 5 others
  • John Mulaney: Baby J
  • Lizzo: Live in Concert
  • Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter
  • Trevor Noah: I Wish You Would
  • Wanda Sykes: I'm an Entertainer
NBC
2022Adele: One Night Only
beat 4 others
  • Dave Chappelle: The Closer
  • Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts
  • Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special
  • One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
CBS
2021Hamilton
beat 5 others
  • Bo Burnham: Inside
  • David Byrne's American Utopia
  • 8:46 - Dave Chappelle
  • Friends: The Reunion
  • A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote
Disney+
2020Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones
beat 5 others
  • Dave Chappelle: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
  • Hannah Gadsby: Douglas
  • Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill
  • John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch
  • Tiffany Haddish: Black Mitzvah
Netflix
2019Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney Live from Liverpool
beat 4 others
  • Hannah Gadsby: Nanette
  • Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé
  • Springsteen on Broadway
  • Wanda Sykes: Not Normal
CBS
2018Dave Chappelle: Equanimity
beat 4 others
  • The Carol Burnett Show: 50th Anniversary Special
  • Carpool Karaoke Primetime Special 2018
  • Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Presents: The Great American* Puerto Rico (*It's Complicated)
  • Steve Martin & Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life
Netflix