Emmys Intro Jokes That Diversity Issues Fixed in Hollywood: ‘We Solved It’
Emmys opened with some insightful commentary
Jennifer Maas | September 17, 2018 @ 5:14 PM
Last Updated: September 17, 2018 @ 5:50 PM
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We solved it, guys: The 2018 Emmy Awards opened with a musical number that celebrated just how diverse Hollywood is (not) now.
Stars like Kenan Thompson, RuPaul, Kate McKinnon, Sterling K. Brown, Kristen Bell, Ricky Martin, Tituss Burgess and Andy Samberg joined together on the Microsoft Theater stage Monday night to sing about what a wide range of voices are (not) running the entertainment industry, called “We Solved It.”
The jazzy number that started the 70th Annual Emmys was packed with insightful commentary about how far we’ve come in terms of race and gender equality — which isn’t very far, as they noted it’s still “mostly Shonda Rhimes.”
The group threw to Sandra Oh — who made history as the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated for lead actress in a drama series this year — in the audience at one point, with the “Killing Eve” star joking it’s “an honor just to be Asian.”
Thompson followed up proudly with, “There were none, now there’s one!”
Other gems included Brown promoting the political range of “democrat to liberal democrat” among his peers and Samberg sulking about wanting room in the song “for a straight white guy like me.”
The bit ended with Thompson being informed by phone that, unfortunately, they have not solved it, and RuPaul being insulted that he was brought up for “one line in a stupid skit,” saying, “Y’all ain’t right.”
Oh, well; maybe by next year, they will have “solved it.”
Click here to see the full list of Emmy Award winners updated in real-time as the show progresses.
14 Unforgettable Emmy Moments, From Charlie Sheen's Cool Conduct to Sean Spicer's Sketch (Photos)
The Emmys may not be the wildest awards show in town (here's looking at you, VMAs), but when scripts are thrown out and folks have a golden lady in hand, TV stars have been known to shock, with a Freudian slip, cringeworthy rant or bit that went too far. As the 2018 show is upon us, TheWrap looks back at 14 of the most talked about moments in the 70 year history of the Emmy Awards.
During 2017's Emmys, Sterling K. Brown gave a powerful -- albeit brief -- speech when he won Best Actor in a Drama Series for "This Is Us." Producers cut the NBC star off not long after he started talking, a move that got them a ton of heat, as winner Nicole Kidman went on and on during her acceptance speech for her role on "Big Little Lies." Brown took it in stride, but joked with Stephen Colbert afterward, “Not everybody can be pretty Australian white women who have won Oscars in the past."
Sean Spicer showed up at the Emmys to make a callback joke to his insistence that President Donald Trump had the "largest audience ever" at his inauguration by insisting the 69th Annual Emmy Awards had the most people in attendance ever -- period. And it seemed awkward for everyone in the audience -- period.
Patty Duke's speech -- or lack thereof -- at the 1970 awards show was one of the most bizarre incidents in the history of the Emmys. The actress came on stage, but didn't make eye contact with the presenter and mumbled inaudibly for a little while until everyone felt uncomfortable. Years later, Duke would open up about her struggles with addiction and mental illness that helped shed light on the weird turn of events.
Jimmy Kimmel used his platform as the host of the 68th Annual Emmys to call out reality TV mega-producer Mark Burnett for the part he played in helping former "Celebrity Apprentice" host Donald Trump rise to fame and cinch the 2016 presidential nomination. While Trump had yet to win at that point, Kimmel promised if he did they'd be throwing Burnett over whatever wall POTUS built. Promises promises, Jimmy.
In a bit that was meant to poke fun at sexism, Sofia Vergara stood on a rotating platform during the 66th Primetime Emmys, while TV Academy boss Bruce Rosenblum talked about diversity saying, “What truly matters is that we never forget that our success is based on always giving the viewer something compelling to watch.” Then Vergara touched her butt. The 2014 moment was criticized for making light of a rampant problem in the industry, though the "Modern Family" actress stood by it.
Before wardrobe malfunctions on the red carpet and concerns about celebs letting f-bombs fly on air, the Emmys were tame. So tame that when Alan Alda won outstanding writing for a comedy series for "M*A*S*H" during the Emmys' 31st year (his first win for writing), the spontaneous cartwheel he did startled the audience. For real, a cartwheel. Hey, it was 1979.
Jon Hamm was nominated for a billion Emmys (exaggeration) before finally winning for his role as Don Draper on "Mad Men" at the 2015 Emmys. When the former AMC star's name was called, he was so blown over from the excitement he decided to climb onto the stage instead of use the stairs. Hamm joked he was worried there had been a mistake. Eh, the only mistake was messing up that tux, Jon.
Great dame! Helen Mirren won for playing the titular role in 2001's "Elizabeth I" and she let loose when she was handed her gold. Mirren said it was "a great triumph not falling a-- over t--s as I came up those stairs" -- except, when the noblewoman said it, it wasn't bleeped, because the show's producers were too slow for Helen.
While taking over hosting duties for the 67th Annual Primetime Emmys, Andy Samberg was more than hospitable by giving out his real HBO login info. Seriously. After all, HBO chief Richard Plepler said he was cool with people sharing their accounts. So Andy shared it with everyone. And if you tried, it actually worked for about a day.
Kirstie Alley's 1991 win for best lead actress in a comedy series was followed up with an acceptance speech about how her then-husband Parker Stevenson was "the man who has given me the big one for the last eight years." Uh, OK. The dirty joke was especially awkward since a young Macaulay Culkin was the presenter.
Seriously, the biggest shock at the 63rd Annual Primetime Emmys in 2011 was that Charlie Sheen kept his cool when asked to present the award for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. This was, after all, not long after Sheen was killed off "Two and a Half Men" and didn't take kindly to getting the axe from CBS and Chuck Lorre. But he kept his composure, directing comments to his former show-mates: "From the bottom of my heart, I wish you nothing but the best for this upcoming season." Everyone was shook -- in a good way.
The 2001 Emmys were pushed back due to the terrorist attacks that devastated the nation that September -- the month the awards show usually takes place. But when it finally aired, host Ellen Degeneres didn't shy away from addressing 9/11 immediately. After a televised speech from Walter Cronkite opened the show, Degeneres' monologue poked fun at increased security, the chances they could be canceled mid-show and thanked all the viewers at home -- including the stars who were afraid to come to the show. Her speech was praised for not making light of the events that shook the nation, but helping the country move forward.
This is why we rehearse, people! "Dancing with the Stars" host Tom Bergeron dropped Heidi Klum while they were co-hosting the 2008 awards (along with some other reality TV series leads) during a sketch that clearly did not get enough attention before the live show. Klum got a nasty bruise from the slip, but showed it off with pride afterward.
Bryan Cranston reignited his brief onscreen romance with "Seinfeld" alum Julia Louis-Dreyfus at the 2014 Emmys, when he planted a kiss on the actress while presenting her with the Lead Actress in a Comedy honor. It's not the first surprise kiss in Emmys history and it probably won't be the last, but it is considered a fan favorite.
Please hold while we wait to see what contentious moment(s) come from Michael Che and Colin Jost's first turn hosting the show on Monday, Sept. 17 on NBC. With the "Weekend Update" anchors at the helm, there is bound to be at least one hot-button moment.
TheWrap rounds up the biggest shockers of the show so far
The Emmys may not be the wildest awards show in town (here's looking at you, VMAs), but when scripts are thrown out and folks have a golden lady in hand, TV stars have been known to shock, with a Freudian slip, cringeworthy rant or bit that went too far. As the 2018 show is upon us, TheWrap looks back at 14 of the most talked about moments in the 70 year history of the Emmy Awards.
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