'And the Emmy goes to... ' These are the most iconic Emmy moments of all time

The 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards ― the second of 2024 ― are nearing. The first set of awards, held January 15, replaced a 2023 ceremony that was postponed by Hollywood labor strikes. Now the television world is gearing up for Round 2, airing Sunday, September 15 on ABC (8 EDT/5 PDT).

Major nominees include FX's popular drama "Shōgun," as well as the network's stress-heavy dramedy "The Bear" which won big at 2024's first Emmy ceremonies for its first season. Fan-favorite comedies like "Abbott Elementary" and "Only Murders in the Building" also scored plenty of noms.

Ahead of the 76th Emmys, here are a few of the most talked-about moments in the history of the awards, from sentimental speeches to outrageous comedy.

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 cacophonous laughter.

Melissa McCarthy won as all the other actresses looked on, Miss America-style. She was even awarded a tiara by presenter Rob Lowe.

3. Merritt Wever is at a loss for words

Wever won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on Showtime's "Nurse Jackie" in 2013. Onstage, the actress was so stunned she could only muster a few thank you's 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 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 Central Park Five

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 Five, accused of murdering a jogger in New York's famed park.

At the end of his acceptance speech, Jerome paid 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. 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.

9. 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 wasn't 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.

10. 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, especially when the cards were mixed up onstage.

Eventually, her glasses were retrieved, with the help of Milton Berle, and the "I Love Lucy" star was able to announce the winner, CBS' "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

11. Body positivity takes the Emmy stage

In 1998, Camryn Manheim was awarded the Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on ABC's "The Practice." Accepting the award, Manheim made a nod to body acceptance and positivity in her speech, saying "This is for all the fat girls."

12. Meryl Streep basks in her second Emmy win

In 2004, Streep claimed the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for her role in HBO's adaptation of the 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.

13.  Niecy Nash-Betts delivers moving speech

When Nash-Betts won best supporting actress for a limited series for Netflix's “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” earlier this year, her speech enraptured the audience.

“I want to thank me, for believing in me and doing what they said I could not do." she said, "And I want to say to myself in front of all these beautiful people: ‘Go on, girl, with your bad self. You did that,” she

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 13 Emmy highlights over the years ahead of 2024 awards