A Recap Of The Wildest Moments From The 2021 Emmy Awards
From the star-studded guest list to host Cedric the Entertainer‘s hilarious jokes, the 2021 Emmy Awards was definitely a night
Lillie Gissen
From the star-studded guest list to host Cedric the Entertainer‘s hilarious jokes, the 2021 Emmy Awards was definitely a night to remember! The event took place on Sunday, September 19 and so many of our favorite stars showed up in their best looks, including Anya Taylor-Joy, Angela Bassett, Sophia Bush, Mindy Kaling, Ellen Pompeo and more.
We are still talking about how amazing they all looked, but besides the gorgeous red carpet pics, there’s also a lot that went down during the show itself. In case you missed it, we went ahead and recapped the wildest and most dramatic moments from the awards show, including some shady comments from Seth Rogan, an emotional speech from Debbie Allen and more. Here’s everything that went down at the 2021 Emmy Awards…
Seth Rogan Called Out The COVID-19 Protocols
Many viewers were quick to notice that during the event, very few audience members were wearing masks and they weren’t practicing social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic. And when Rogan stepped on stage to present an award, he called the creators of the event out for not following the COVID-19 protocols.
“Let me start by saying there is way too many of us in this little room! What are we doing?” he said. “They said this was outdoors! It’s not! They lied to us.”
The actor continued, “I would not have come to this. Why is there a roof? It is more important that we have three chandeliers than that we make sure we don’t kill Eugene Levy tonight. That is what has been decided.”
He added that it was “insane” for so many people to be in such a tight space.
“I went from wiping my groceries to having Paul Bettany sneeze in my face. That’s a big week,” Rogan joked. “If anyone is going to sneeze in my face, Paul, I want it to be you. All right, that’s all the jokes I wrote.”
‘The Crown’ Won Big, And Some People Weren’t Here For It
The Netflix series The Crown took home the most awards of the night (11!) — including Outstanding Drama Series, Lead Actress — Drama Series, Lead Actor — Drama Series and more — and while some fans were super excited about it, other people weren’t exactly here for the fact that no other drama shows stood a chance.
The awards show also came under fire for their lack of diversity. It turns out, not one actor of color won an award Sunday night, and viewers quickly called the Emmys out for this. “#EmmysSoWhite” actually trended on Twitter during the event, with one fan writing, “50 percent of tonight’s nominees were people of color and Television Academy voters pretty much chose all the white people.”
50% of tonight’s nominees were people of color and Television Academy voters pretty much chose all the white people #EmmysSoWhite #Emmys pic.twitter.com/oTtx1TSxvc
— Brandi Brands (@BBrands26) September 20, 2021
“Black host, black announcer, hell — even black music. We doing everything but win,” another Twitter user wrote.
Black host, Black announcer hell even Black music. We doing everything but win. #EmmysSoWhite#Emmys pic.twitter.com/fkGDhANUj2
— ~Alexandria~ “AstroPetty” (@DOPECHICKBEATS) September 20, 2021
Debbie Allen Made Headlines For Her Speech
Acclaimed actress Debbie Allen arguably stole the show with her acceptance speech after she took home the Governors Award.
“I am trembling with gratitude and grace, I’m trying not to cry and be equal to the situation because it’s been many years in the making, taking a lot of courage to be the only woman in the room most of the time, a lot of courage and creativity and faith to believe that I could keep going. And I have,” the 71-year-old said, while accepting the award. “And I brought a whole lot of people with me, so I want to say thank you for this glorious moment in the sun.”
“Let this moment resonate with women across the world, across this country and across the world, from Texas to Afghanistan,” she continued. “Let them know. And also with young people who have no vote and who can’t even get a vaccine, they’re inheriting the world that we live that we leave them. It is time for you to claim your power, claim your voice, say your song, tell your stories, it will make us a better place. Your turn. Thank you.”
Allen even told the producers to turn off the timer so she could talk as long as she wanted to, and boy, was it iconic.
Cedric The Entertainer Opened The Show With A Rap Song
Cedric the Entertainer opened up the show with a cover of Biz Markie’s song “Just a Friend,” except he changed some of the lyrics to fit the night. Many of his celebrities friends even joined in, including LL Cool J, Rita Wilson, Lil Dicky and others. It was truly a moment. The host also cracked a lot of jokes during his monologue, including one about Nicki Minaj — who recently announced that she didn’t attend the Met Gala because you had to be vaccinated to attend.
“It feels good, we’re all vaxxed,” the host said. “I did not have a reaction like Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend, OK. I got Pfizer, you know what I’m saying? Because I’m bougie.”