Most Memorable Emmy Moments, From History-Making Wins and Political Jokes to Heartfelt Reunions
The 2024 Emmy Awards were filled with several memorable moments throughout the night on Sunday, from historical wins and powerful speeches to heartfelt cast reunions and political jokes. Some of them included Anna Sawai, Liza Colón-Zayas and Hiroyuki Sanada making history with their wins; Candice Bergen making a catty J.D. Vance joke; and The West Wing, Happy Days and Saturday Night Live casts reuniting onstage. Below, The Hollywood Reporter highlights some of the night’s unforgettable moments.
John Leguizamo Celebrates Diverse Emmy Nominees in Powerful Speech
John Leguizamo is “almost happy and certainly less angry” with the nominees for the 2024 Emmys. When taking the stage during Sunday night’s show, the Emmy-winning actor was quick to point out, “I’m one of Hollywood’s DEI hires. That’s right, DEI. The ‘D’ is for diligence, the ‘E’ is for excellence, the ‘I’ is for imagination. And everyone in this room tonight has dedicated their lives to diligence, excellence and imagination, so we are all DEI hires. What a beautiful diverse group this is tonight.” Read more. — Lexy Perez
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Candice Bergen Makes Catty J.D. Vance Joke
Candice Bergen returned to the 2024 Emmys stage Sunday night and landed a joke at the expense of Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance. The former star of CBS’ Murphy Brown, who famously drew the ire of conservative politicians in the 1990s, made a direct comparison to her sitcom’s most famous storyline and current political headlines. “For 11 years, I had the tremendous privilege of playing the lead in a comedy series called Murphy Brown,” the 78-year-old Bergen said. “I was surrounded by brilliant and funny actors, had the best scripts to work with, and, in one classic moment, my character was attacked by Vice President Dan Quayle when Murphy became pregnant and decided to raise the baby as a single mother.” Bergen took a beat, and then sarcastically said, “Oh, how far we’ve come … Today, a Republican candidate for vice president would never attack a woman for having kids.” Read more. — James Hibberd
The West Wing, Happy Days and SNL Casts Reunite for Heartfelt Moments
The West Wing, Happy Days, Saturday Night Live, Reba and Schitt’s Creek were among the popular series to reunite their casts at the 2024 Emmys. With NBC’s The West Wing celebrating the 25th anniversary of its series premiere on Sept. 22, 1999, the show’s stars Martin Sheen, Dulé Hill, Janel Maloney, Richard Schiff and Allison Janney took the stage in front of a replica of its Oval Office set. Aaron Sorkin created the program that ran for seven seasons and centered on the administration of President Josiah Bartlet (Sheen). Read more. — Ryan Gajewski
Slow Horses Writer Will Smith Drops Sly Joke About Actor Who Shares His Name
Will Smith walked onto the stage at the Emmy Awards on Sunday night. Still, any tension associated with that name and the awards stage was quickly assuaged when he opened his mouth to accept the outstanding writing for a drama series award. “First of all, relax. Despite my name, I come in peace,” Smith, who is not the famous actor but the showrunner for the Apple TV+ hit series Slow Horses, told the crowd at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The crowd laughed at the callback to one of the most notorious moments in recent awards show history. Read more. — Kevin Dolak
Shogun Star Anna Sawai Makes History With Emmy Win
Anna Sawai made history after winning the Emmy for best drama actress for Shogun during Sunday night’s 2024 Emmys. With her first Emmy win, Sawai became the first actress of Asian descent to win in the lead actress in a drama series category at the Emmys. Sawai was nominated alongside Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show), Carrie Coon (The Gilded Age), Maya Erskine (Mr. and Mrs. Smith), Imelda Staunton (The Crown) and Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show). When taking the stage, a visibly emotional Sawai quipped, “I was crying before my name was announced. I’m a mess today.” Read more. — Lexy Perez
The Bear Star Liza Colón-Zayas Becomes First Latina to Win in Her Category
The Bear‘s Liza Colón-Zayas won the award for best supporting actress in a comedy series at the 2024 Emmys, making her the first Latina actress to win in the category. “Thank you to my husband David Zayas, he told me to write a speech, and I didn’t because I didn’t think it would be possible,” Colón-Zayas said as she accepted the Emmy award presented to her by It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia stars Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney. “How, how could I have thought it would be possible to be in the presence of Meryl Streep and Carol Burnett and Janelle [James] and Sheryl Lee Ralph and Hannah [Einbinder]? I love you all from the bottom of my heart, and all the women — my mommy, thank you.” Read more. — Brande Victorian
Hiroyuki Sanada Becomes First Japanese Actor to Win Best Lead in a Drama Series
Hiroyuki Sanada won best lead actor in a drama series at the 2024 Emmys, becoming the first Japanese actor and only the second Asian actor to ever win in the category in Emmy history. “I’m beyond honored to be here with amazing nominees,” said Sanada in accepting the award presented to him by Steven Yeun. “Thank you to FX, Disney and Hulu for believing in me. Thank you to my team for always supporting me, and thank you to all the cast and crew of Shogun. I’m so proud of you. It was an east meets west dream project with respect. Shogun taught me that when people work together we can make miracles. We can create a better future together.” Sanada won the award for best lead actor for his role as Yoshii Toranaga in Shogun, adding to the FX series’ ranking as the most-awarded show in a single season after winning 14 awards at the Creative Arts Emmys last weekend. Read more. — Brande Victorian
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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.
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