75th Emmy Awards live updates: Fashion, winners, highlights | AP News

Published: January 15, 2024 05:30 PM

There’s his actual wife, British actor Keeley Hawes, who won a kiss in the audience.

Then Matthew MacFadyen, accepting the supporting actor in a drama Emmy for “Succession,” thanked his on-screen wife, Sarah Snook — and then “my other on-screen wife, Nicholas Braun.”

Braun plays Cousin Greg, often subject to the whims of MacFadyen’s Tom Wambsgans.

Their category hasn’t come up yet, but presenter Pedro Pascal got a revenge of sorts on Kieran Culkin, who said “Suck it, Pedro. Mine!” from the stage last week after winning at the Golden Globes.

Tonight, Pascal said many had been wondering about his sling (it’s his shoulder, he clarified, not his arm).

“Kieran Culkin beat the s— out of me,” he quipped, earning him a bleep. The camera then panned to Culkin, who flashed his signature, deviant smile.

Lorraine Bracco, who portrayed Dr. Melfi “The Sopranos” — and Michael Imperioli, who played Christopher Moltisanti on the series — presented the Emmy for supporting actress in a drama series. It went to Imperioli’s “White Lotus” co-star Jennifer Coolidge for her role on “White Lotus.”

“Wow, thank you. You know, I just want to say — I have to put this down. I still don’t have the strength,” she said as she put down her trophy to start her speech.

She thanked show created Mike White with a light spoiler: “He says I’m definitely dead so I’m going along with it.”

“I want to thank all the evil gays, really, really,” she added.

At that, several cast members of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” leapt to their feet and waved at her from the audience.

Lorraine Bracco and Michael Imperioli from “The Sopranos” celebrated the 25th anniversary of its premiere with a moment in a therapist’s office.

The two hailed series creator David Chase and actor James Gandolfini, who played Tony Soprano and died in 2013. Anderson said the moment Tony Soprano walked into a therapist’s office was when “television history was about to be made.” A framed portrait of Gandolfini rested on a table in front of the pair.

Quinta Brunson became the second Black winner of best actress in a comedy — and the first in more than 40 years — with her win for “Abbott Elementary.”

“I dont know why I’m so emotional,” Brunson said through tears. “I think it’s the Carol Burnett of it all.”

The audience roared with laughter when she began listing people in her family, a trope of the awkward acceptance speech form.

“I’m just so happy to be able to live my dream and act out comedy,” she said.

Isabel Sanford of “The Jeffersons” was the first Black woman to win the category, in 1981.

“Progress has been made and it truly warms my heart to see how men are doing in comedy.”

Seven-time Emmy-winner Carol Burnett, while presenting best actress in a comedy series.

A week after winning the Golden Globe for leading actress in a comedy for Season 2 of “The Bear,” Ayo Edebiri won an Emmy for best supporting actress for Season 1 of the show.

“I have 43 seconds, OK,” Edebiri started her speech, dedicating it to her parents. “Thank you so much for loving me and letting me feel beautiful and Black and proud of all of that. … Probably not, like, a dream to immigrate to this country and have your child be like, ‘I want to do improv.’”

Read more about Edebiri in her 2023 AP Breakthrough Entertainer profile.

Christina Applegate is the first presenter of the night, welcomed by a standing ovation.

Applegate has been public about her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, and joked that the audience was “totally shaming with disability by standing up.

“It’s fine. OK. Body not by Ozempic,” she quipped.

The Emmys Award took a nostalgia-driven return on Monday with host Anthony Anderson hanging up his coat like “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” sitting at a piano and singing with a choir the themes for TV classics, like “Good Times” and “The Facts of Life.”

Travis Barker helped drum Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” and Anderson asked winners to keep their speeches “tight.” He threatened to have his mother cut off lengthy speeches.

“Times up, baby,” she told him. “Cut to the chase.”

He’s helping out with host Anthony Anderson’s sprightly seven-minute monologue, guesting on drums for a cover of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.” The Blink-182 drummer walked the carpet with wife Kourtney Kardashian beforehand.

The Emmys kicked off at 8 p.m. Eastern — the exact same time the Iowa caucuses began. It’s safe to say telecast viewership in the Hawkeye State won’t be very high tonight. If you can’t get enough of AP’s live blog coverage, follow along with our colleagues covering the Republican caucuses.

It’s almost showtime. If you’re in the U.S., the Emmys telecast is on Fox this year. It begins at 8 p.m. Eastern. The channel is available via antenna, cable and satellite providers. If you want to stream it, you can watch it with a subscription to a live streaming service that includes Fox, like Hulu + Live TV or YouTube TV. Otherwise, catch it the next day on Hulu.

If you’re not in the U.S., the Emmys website has a list of international broadcasters carrying the show.

Anthony Anderson isn’t stressed. Despite being tasked with hosting the Emmys scarcely a week after Jo Koy’s panned performance at the Golden Globes, the heat isn’t getting to the former “black-ish” star.

“All the pressure is off of me now. I don’t have to sit there and wonder, am I going to win? Am I going to get it? What time are they going to get to this category?” he told AP’s Liam McEwan at Friday’s Emmys preview. “You know, I just get to come up here and be myself and have fun and poke fun at Jason Sudeikis, who I believe stole the award from me for several years. I’m 0 for 11, Jason. I’m 0 for 11. Hmm.”

Anderson has certainly had more than 10 days to prepare, unlike Koy, having been announced as the host mid-December. He’s also an experienced emcee – while this is his first Emmys hosting gig, he’s done the honors at the NAACP Image Awards eight times.

The Emmys producers credited Anderson with bringing “some amazing ideas to the table” – along with an impressive Rolodex that helped attract presenters.

Anderson laid out his gameplan for tonight, with some advice for the audience: “So just be authentically me and have fun, while being respectful to those in the audience and those at home watching. But, you know, get to poke a little fun at somebody and you know, sometimes an audience like this in a room like this can be uptight. You know, let’s just loosen our bow ties a little bit and just be here to celebrate one another and laugh at ourselves.”

Just before the show, his mother, Doris Hancox, was delivering show rules via video from the stage. Hancox told the audience of the two ways to reach the stage if they win, AP’s Beth Harris reports. She also warned winners they have 45 seconds to talk and anyone who goes over “will have to deal with me.”

Statements on the Israel-Hamas war have been few during this awards season, but Khalid Abdalla is bucking that trend.

“The Crown” actor, who is British of Egyptian descent, has continued to draw attention to the war and call for a cease-fire. At the Emmys, last week’s Golden Globes and other award shows, Abdalla has called for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and for the release of hostages, while wearing a dove pin and white armband to symbolize peace.

These Emmys are pulling off a trifecta of unusualness: on a Monday, in January, during a federal holiday. But the creative minds behind the show are making the most of it, and told AP’s Liam McEwan to expect tributes to Martin Luther King Jr.

“We’ll definitely acknowledge it. You know, we’re all honored to do something on a day that honors such an important man,” producer Dionne Harmon told the AP on Friday, during a preview event.

Host Anthony Anderson also noted a fitting synergy between the holiday and the 75th Emmys.

“Because of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we all have made strides – and not only in the African American community, but the community as a whole as people, as a culture. But to have the Emmys on that day, to have it produced by an all-African American production team and Jesse Collins and Dionne and Jeannae (Rouzan-Clay), and what they’ve been able to do. We will be making history in front of, and behind the camera on a very special day.”

Arconiacs, rejoice! The main trio from “Only Murders in the Building” is in the house.

Cast members of nominated “RuPaul’s Drag Race” have sashayed their way to their seats inside the Emmys, AP’s Beth Harris reports. In a theater full of black tuxedos and low-key fashion, their feathers, sequins, boas and sky-high hair styles are standouts.

It’s the Emmys’ 75th anniversary, so famous TV theme songs are the pre-show entertainment. No one is singing along but they could be to classics from “The Brady Bunch,” “The Love Boat,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” and “Eight Is Enough.”

Which cast reunion are you most excited about?

These milestone Emmys will feature cast reunions and recreations of shows from a bygone era and those still airing, alike.

“It was really about, how can we celebrate 75 years of television differently?” the show’s executive producer Jesse Collins told AP’s Andrew Dalton.

The moments will be spread out through the show; for some, expect to see just two stars paired together. Here are the reunion lineups already announced – expect to see some additional surprises:

• “Martin”: Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Carl Anthony Payne II and Tichina Arnold
• “Ally McBeal”: Calista Flockhart, Greg Germann, Peter MacNicol and Gil Bellows
• “The Sopranos”: Lorraine Bracco and Michael Imperioli
• “SNL Weekend Update”: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
• “American Horror Story”: Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott
• “Grey’s Anatomy”: Ellen Pompeo, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, James Pickens Jr. and Chandra Wilson

“Barry” fan-favorite Anthony Carrigan, dressed in a velvet cow-print suit, told the AP that no matter how boundary-pushing or esoteric his show got, he was on board.

“I was like — let’s do it. Let’s get weird. Let’s get dark,” he said. “And I think we just leaned into it.”

As for the ending — he was “a little bit shocked,” just like viewers. “But shock is good. It’s one of those things you don’t get very often in shows.”

While the famous make their way down the carpet, the less famous are packed into the Peacock Theater lobby for pre-show libations, AP’s Beth Harris reports.

The Champagne Bar includes $15 selections from Spain or a bottle of California red wine called The Prisoner for $50. There are snacks, too, to fortify before the three-hour (or longer) show begins. A charcuterie box is $15.50, pizza cupcakes are $11 and popcorn is $5.50. Ultra premium cocktails are $18.25 and premium cocktails are $17.50. Cards only, no cash.

Hollywood’s dual strikes meant a four-month delay for television’s annual celebration of itself, which meant Weird Al has had the opportunity to promote his hilarious biopic, “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” for a long time now.

“It’s kind of fun to have a movie that keeps winning awards for years and years,” the comedic musician joked.

If there’s another movie on the horizon — that’s yet to be seen.

“I’ve never shied away from television and film,” he said, adding that “I’m not touring for a little bit because I’d like to focus a little bit more on other film and movie projects.”

He’s not currently making new music — “but I haven’t given up on that,” he says. “But I’m not cranking out an album every year like I used to.”

“It was an opportunity to do something really original. We’ve never seen this kind of show before, where there’s a mix of scripted, mixed with like live theater — and then, of course Ronald (Gladden), no one knew what he was going to do or say,” James Marsden, who’s nominated for playing (a version of) himself on “Jury Duty,” told the AP.

“I got excited about the improv element of it, and also making fun of what we all do — an extreme version of Hollywood and entitlement and celebrity and kind of poking fun at it,” he said of the show.

His goal? To make his character “somehow loveable, in an insufferable way.”

On the Emmys carpet, Issa Rae — President Barbie herself — spoke to AP about a recent viral clip in which two young girls from the hit web series “Recess Therapy” expressed their love of Rae’s role.

At last week’s Golden Globes, the two young girls approached Issa and cheered “I saw you on ‘Barbie.’ You were the president… I wanted to be you when I was (watching) ‘Barbie.’” They handed her a friendship bracelet, which Rae wore to the Emmys.

“It says ‘winners,’” Rae exclaimed, showing off the bracelet. “I can’t take this off. I’ve been coordinating with it.”

“It didn’t hit me until afterwards where I was like oh, this is amazing,” she says of the interaction. “Like, they recognize me as this character, they aspire to be that character. And they were just so sweet and excited to meet this version of me. I felt proud and honored.”

If you’re missing the Greyhounds in fictional Premier League action, they’re here tonight at the Emmys, where “Ted Lasso” is up for best comedy and a host of other awards.

Sam Richardson — who played a team antagonist of sorts — picked up an Emmy at the Creative Arts awards last week for his guest spot.

Here are the Emmy totals the big nominees are coming in with, thanks to last week’s Creative Arts Emmys:

“The Last of Us”: 8
“The White Lotus”: 4
“The Bear”: 4
“Wednesday”: 4
“Beef”: 3
“Ted Lasso”: 2
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”: 2
“Daisy Jones & The Six”: 2
“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”: 2
“Succession”: 0

The Creative Arts Emmys take place a week before the primetime Emmys telecast, and are a two-night affair where nearly 100 awards are doled out. Many of the awards are more technical, but the nights last week were still starry, with some big names notching wins. An edited version of the awards aired Saturday on FXX and is available to stream on Hulu. AP’s Andrew Dalton was there both nights – here were some of the highlights:

• Judith Light took home her first Emmys in her nearly 50-year TV career, for “Poker Face.”
• Nick Offerman won his first Emmy, for “The Last of Us.”
• “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” won best television movie, with Yankovic offering this advice backstage: “Take accordion lessons. It’ll pay off eventually.”
• Barack Obama wasn’t there, but the former president won his second Emmy, for narrating “Working: What We Do All Day.”
• Keke Palmer of “Password” beat out both “Jeopardy” hosts – Ken Jennings and the now-erstwhile Mayim Bialik – for best game show host.
• Carol Burnett, 90, won best prerecorded variety special for “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love” on the same night the Golden Globes didn’t award the honorary trophy named for her.

As celebrities started hitting the silver carpet bright and early Monday afternoon, “Succession” actor Kieran Culkin revealed he has yet to finish his own critically acclaimed series.

“I haven’t even seen the last episode yet,” he told AP.

But it’s not on purpose.

“I’m sure if I talked to a therapist, you could probably come up with a lot of reasons why I haven’t seen it,” the Roman Roy actor joked.

Marking the 75th edition of the Emmys, the Television Academy collaborated with academics to sift through eight decades of TV history. The result? A list the academy calls the Top 75 Most Impactful Television Moments.

The moments range from the awe-inspiring to the traumatizingly tragic to simply iconically entertaining. Here are their top five:

1. The Apollo 11 moon landing
2. Live coverage of the 9/11 attacks
3. The Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show”
4. The premiere episode of “Roots”
5. Walter Cronkite announcing President John F. Kennedy’s death

Awards season is grueling, y’all, not least for the celebrities running the gauntlet. Last night was the Critics Choice Awards, across town in Santa Monica, California. Like at the Golden Globes, “Succession” ruled the drama category, “The Bear” dominated in comedy and “Beef” was done well in the limited series category.

Expect those same stars back on yet another carpet at tonight’s Emmys.

Well, they were supposed to have been in 2023. We haven’t had an Emmys ceremony since September 2022, in fact. The 75th Emmys were delayed because of the Hollywood strikes, catapulting them from their usual perch in late summer or early fall to squarely in the midst of winter – better known in Hollywood as awards season.

The temporary shift does have some rather confusing side effects. The Emmys already have what some consider a counterintuitive eligibility window, as AP’s Alicia Rancilio broke down last April. Had the 75th Emmys not been delayed, they still would have aired more than a year after the finale of Season 1 of “The Bear,” which is up for several awards. Now, the show is even further behind: Two seasons of the show have come and gone, and Jeremy Allen White has Golden Globes for both – but is still waiting to see if he collects a statuette from the Television Academy for his work in 2022.

If you missed the pep of E! during last week’s Golden Globes, fret not: The channel is back with its “Live from E!” coverage at 5 p.m. Eastern, three hours before the telecast kicks off. The first hour is hosted by Zuri Hall, Amber Ruffin and Zanna Roberts Rassi, before Laverne Cox and comedian Heather McMahan take over. And if that’s not enough, E! is throwing an after-party that begins at 11 p.m., featuring Real Housewives Garcelle Beauvais and Jenna Lyons.

If you want an alternative, People and Entertainment Weekly are cohosting their own show from the silver carpet, streaming on their website and YouTube.