The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze, was an evening that celebrated television, soaked in nostalgia and gave viewers moments of unadulterated humour. From standing ovations to historic wins, here are six instances that stood out at the Los Angeles ceremony on Monday (IST).
Standing ovation for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
As it prepares to go off air soon, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert took home the Emmy for best talk series — the show’s first win in the category. It beat competitors like Jimmy Kimmel Live! and last year’s winner The Daily Show. As presenter Bryan Cranston announced the winner, the Peacock Theater erupted into applause and gave Colbert and his team a standing ovation. Earlier in the evening, Colbert joked about the show being pulled off air, asking the audience, “Is anyone hiring?”
Host Nate Bargatze takes a dig at television industry
On his debut at Emmy host, comedian Nate Bargatze playfully poked fun at the television industry and some of the night’s nominees. He kicked off the ceremony with a comedy skit in which he portrayed Philo Farnsworth, the television pioneer, humorously explaining the absurd and unexpected directions TV would take in the future. Joined by Saturday Night Live cast members Bowen Yang, Mikey Day and James Austin Johnson, the act was a nod to Bargatze’s Washington’s Dream sketch from his first time hosting SNL last year.
Hannah Einbinder’s “Free Palestine' moment
Hannah Einbinder won her first Emmy for best supporting actress in a comedy series for Hacks. She described her win as “punk rock” before ending her speech with a political slogan: “I just want to say Go Birds, f**k ICE, and free Palestine.”
Later, she told reporters, “I thought it was important to talk about Palestine because it’s an issue that’s very dear to my heart… I feel like it is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the state of Israel.”
Historic Emmy win for Tramell Tillman
Severance star Tramell Tillman became the first Black man to win the Emmy in the best supporting actor in a drama series category. Tillman, who plays Milchick in the Apple TV+ series, earned his first nomination and win this year, defeating Zach Cherry, James Marsden, John Turturro, Sam Rockwell, Jason Isaacs and Walton Goggins. In his acceptance speech, he quoted his mother telling him, “You remember what you want to remember. You make time for what you want to make time for, do the work, show up, and most importantly, for the love of God, don’t embarrass me in public.”
Jeff Probst brings Survivor tribal council on Emmy stage
In a playful homage to reality TV, Survivor host Jeff Probst brought a mock tribal council to the Emmy stage. The setup featured cardboard cut-outs of Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver and executive producer Lorne Michaels awaiting judgment. “For 25 years and 50 seasons, Survivor has challenged contestants to outwit, outplay and outlast the competition. Tonight, it’s no different—these two tribes have battled hard, but here, there’s no immunity to save them,” he said.
Gilmore Girls reunion
Gilmore Girls stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel reunited on the Emmy stage in a replica of their iconic Stars Hollow set to mark the series’ 25th anniversary. The pair, who famously played mother and daughter Lorelai and Rory, reminisced about the show and its legacy.
