Laraine Newman Slams ‘The Bear’ for Being in Emmys Comedy Categories
Laraine Newman isn’t holding back her thoughts on the Emmy-winning series The Bear.
The original Saturday Night Live castmember took to X on Sunday night to slam the FX/Hulu hit show for competing in the comedy categories at the 2024 Emmys.
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“Every time I think about The Bear being in the comedy category for the Emmys I can feel an ulcer developing,” Newman wrote.
Later in the ceremony, when The Bear set a new record for most wins in a single season for a comedy with 11 (surpassing its own tally from last year when it won 10), the actress added in a since-deleted tweet, “FUCK. THE. BEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
She later tweeted a clarification, writing, “I think the Bear is a great show but IMHO it’s not a comedy- not even a dark comedy.”
Newman’s daughter, Hannah Einbinder, was nominated this year for best supporting actress in a comedy series for her role in Hacks, however, the Emmy ultimately went to Liza Colón-Zayas for her role in The Bear. The win was also history-making as Colón-Zayas became the first Latina to win in the category.
Hacks, however, in a surprise move, then went on to win the best comedy award of the night.
Since The Bear‘s first season premiered in 2022 and ultimately became a hit among Television Academy
members, industry insiders have increasingly questioned its classification as a comedy, given how heavy so much of its subject matter is and how few laughs it tends to evoke. Voters, however, have continued to vote for it in the comedy category throughout its run. It remains to be seen if the show’s third season, arguably its least funny yet, will again pursue a comedy classification, or if it will switch over to drama. On occasion, when there is an egregious misrepresentation of a category, the TV Academy will intervene and force a recategorization — famously, midway through their runs, Orange Is the New Black was made to shift from comedy to drama, while Shameless was shifted in the reverse direction.
This year, the Jeremy Allen White-led show came into the Emmys with 23 nominations, a comedy series record. And The Bear has collected several wins throughout the 2024 Emmys, including Moss-Bachrach winning for best supporting actor in a comedy series and White winning for best actor in a comedy series.
The 2024 Emmy Awards, co-hosted by Eugene Levy and Dan Levy, were held Sunday night at the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles. Find the complete list of winners here, and check out all the star’s red carpet looks here.
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