lining up on stage, beauty pageant-
style, and cheering giddily as
Melissa McCarthy was (literally)
crowned the winner, complete with
a sash and bouquet of roses. Bryan
Cranston grabbing Julia Louis-
Dreyfus and planting a steamy kiss
on her in 2014. Director Glenn
Weiss proposing to his girlfriend on
camera in 2018. And of course, the
speeches! (Hall of Fame shout-
out to Merritt Wever’s “I gotta go”
in 2013.)
If we’re losing anything in this
sea change, it’s the opportunity that
the Emmys (and, to a lesser degree,
the Oscars) provided some of our
more subversive comedians to
showcase their particular brand of
pointed, hilarious honesty about
the entertainment industry. Conan
O’Brien inserting himself into the
biggest shows of 2006, including
Lost, House, The Office, and...ToNOTABLE HOSTS OF EMMYS PAST
Conan O’Brien
(2002, 2006)
A true TV nerd, O’Brien celebrated the industry while lambasting it with love (and show tunes).Jimmy Kimmel
(2012, 2016)
Few hosts are more adept at making the stars in the room squirm.Stephen Colbert
(2017)
The man got naked for a Westworld parody. Respect.Ellen DeGeneres
(2001, 2005)
When the TV Academy needed someone to charm the
crowd with inoffensive humor, they called Ellen.Tom Bergeron, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum,
Ryan Seacrest, and Jeff Probst
(2008)
Woof. Turns out a script does matter in TV.Catch a Predator (conebone69!).
Jimmy Kimmel publicly scolding
The Apprentice creator Mark Bur-
nett for launching the Donald
Trump phenomenon: “If Donald
Trump gets elected and he builds
that wall, the first person we’re
throwing over it is Mark Burnett.”
Stephen Colbert praising “diverse”
nominee Bill Maher in 2017 (“I
assume he’s black, because he’s so
comfortable using the N-word”).
But there’s no reason why the
funny men and women of late-
night can’t participate in hostless
ceremonies going forward, perhaps
serving up a monologue here or an
in-the-audience stunt there. Plus,
at least one top-shelf awards show
will almost certainly continue to
have a host: CBS has the rights to
the Tony Awards through 2026, and
they’ll have to pry that gig out of
James Corden’s cold, dead hands. �EMMY INSIDER
Of course, Fox’s choice to pro-
ceed sans host was likely made,
in part, out of necessity: The net-
work has no late-night talent to
draw from, and the performers
who have hosted the Emmys on Fox
in the past—Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s
Andy Samberg and Glee’s Jane
Lynch—have since signed with new
employers. (Yes, Family Guy
creator-star Seth MacFarlane still
works for Fox, but after his regret-
table “We Saw Your Boobs” Oscar
hosting gig of 2013, he doesn’t seem
like a viable option.)
And you know what, dear read-
ers? I think it’s all going to be okay.
Looking back at past Emmy (and
Oscar and Golden Globe) broad-
casts, it’s clear that the highlights
of these awards shows occur more
often than not during the intersti-
tial moments: The 2011 Outstanding
Lead Actress in a Comedy nominees O’BRIEN: M. CAULFIELD/WIREIMAGE; KIMMEL, COLBERT: LESTER COHEN/WIREIMAGE (2); DEGENERES: MATHEW IMAGING/FILMMAGIC; 2008 HOSTS: KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES