13 most iconic Emmy Awards moments of all time – USA TODAY
The 74th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are almost here. This year’s Emmys will take place Sept. 12 (NBC and Peacock, 8 EDT/5 PDT).
Nominees include fan favorite comedies like Abbott Elementary and Ted Lasso as well as popular dramas such as Ozark and Succession.
The event is an iconic night in television, and has for years generated unforgettable moments in entertainment history.
These are a few of the most talked-about Emmy moments in the history of the awards, from sentimental speeches to outrageous comedy.
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1. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Bryan Cranston share an intimate moment.
In 2014, the former “Seinfeld” actress snagged a win for her role in HBO’s “Veep,” and on her way to accept the golden trophy was stopped by Cranston. The two shared a comically passionate kiss as cameras looked on.
2. Nominees for lead actress channel Miss America.
In 2011, all the nominees for the Best Comedy Actress took the stage as their names were called, taking the audience by surprise and prompting quite a bit of laughter.
Melissa McCarthy won, with all the actresses looking on, Miss America-style. She was even awarded a tiara by presenter Rob Lowe.
3. Merritt Wever is at a loss for words.
When Wever won the Emmy for supporting actress in a comedy series for her role on Showtime’s “Nurse Jackie” in 2013, the actress was so stunned she could only muster a few thank you’s to the audience before saying “I gotta go, bye.”
4. Viola Davis becomes the first woman of color to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Upon winning her first golden statue in 2015 for her role in ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder,” Davis delivered a powerful speech, saying, “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity.” Davis went on to earn four more Emmy nominations.
5. Fred Rogers delivers a sentimental speech.
When Rogers won a lifetime achievement award at the Daytime Emmys in 1997, his words struck a chord with viewers.
He spoke with the same sing-song intonation he used for years on his PBS children’s program, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” and asked an emotional audience to think of all the people who had helped them become who they were.
6. Glenn Weiss proposes to his girlfriend on stage.
When Weiss won in 2018 for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special, he saw an opportunity and seized it. Onstage, he got down on one knee and put a ring on longtime girlfriend Jan Svendsen’s finger.
As far as public proposals go, this pretty much takes the cake.
7. Jharrel Jerome pays tribute to the Central Park 5
Jerome won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie in 2019 for his role in “When They See Us,” a Netflix series portraying the wrongful conviction of the Central Park 5.
At the end of his acceptance speech, Jerome payed special tribute to the men whose lives were dramatized in the miniseries, saying “most importantly, this is for the men that we know as the Exonerated Five. Raymond, Yusef, Antron, Kevin, and King Korey Wise. Thank you so much, it’s an honor, it’s a blessing.”
8. Sean Spicer makes an appearance.
In 2017, when Stephen Colbert served as master of ceremonies for the awards show, he brought former White House press secretary Sean Spicer out to remark on the audience size, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the many false statements Spicer made about the size of the crowd at Trump’s inauguration.
9. Billy Porter makes history.
Porter won in 2019 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a drama series for FX’s “Pose.” He made history as the first openly gay Black man to win an Emmy in this category.
In his speech he remarked how overwhelmed he was to have lived long enough to see this day, and quoted James Baldwin.
10. Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Steve Carell have a joyful moment.
In 2007 when Ricky Gervais won Lead Actor in a Comedy for HBO’s “Extras” and was not there to accept his award, Stewart and Colbert gave it to their friend Steve Carell. Years later, Gervais made a show of demanding it back.
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11. Lucille Ball has a little trouble reading.
In 1975, when the “I Love Lucy” icon was presenting the award for best comedy series, she realized she had forgotten her glasses and was having trouble discerning who the winner was.
Eventually her glasses were retrieved and the “I Love Lucy” star was able to announce the winner.
12. Body positivity takes the Emmy stage.
Camryn Manheim accepts the Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Drama
In 1998, Camryn Manheim was awarded the Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on ABC’s “The Practice.” Upon accepting the award, Manheim made a nod to body acceptance and positivity in her speech, saying “This is for all the fat girls.”
13. Meryl Streep basks in her second Emmy win.
Meryl Streep accepts the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
In 2004, Streep claimed the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for her role in HBO’s adaptation of Broadway play “Angels in America.”
“There are some days when I myself think I’m overrated” Streep started her speech, “but not today.” The audience delighted at her feigned arrogance and gave her an easy laugh.
