Co-presenters are often an essential part of major awards ceremonies and political commentary, and the 2024 Emmy Awards were no exception.
Presenting the award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (to Jean Smart, her third win for “Hacks”), Candice Bergen took to the microphone to deliver some wry, biting political humor.
The five-time Emmy winner, who has appeared in TV shows like “Murphy Brown” and films like “Congenital Beauty,” recounted a time when then-Republican Vice President Dan Quayle spoke out against “Murphy” during the run of her favorite sitcom after Bergen’s unmarried character got pregnant and decided to raise the baby alone.
She then dropped a pithy joke about current Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance, without even mentioning him by name.
“Today, a Republican vice presidential nominee would never attack a woman for giving birth to a child. So, as they say, my work is done here. Meow.”
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The double joke was a play on previous comments made by Vance, who suggested that only women with families care about the fate of the nation. He also lamented that the country is run by “childless, cat-loving women.”
Other Emmy presenters and winners also couldn’t help but use their time in the spotlight to make their own political statements, with many making the same cat-themed remarks.
“I want to thank my parents, they take such good care of my cat,” said “The Bear” actor Ebon Moss-Bacharach, who won best supporting actor for his film.
Selena Gomez pokes fun at ‘Only Murders in the Building’ co-stars Martin Short and Steve Martin with a cat joke
As Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez took to the stage, the “Only Murders in the Building” stars also shared some cat jokes.
“Steve, let me just say it’s an honor for me to work with someone who can fall down and not get up,” Short said.
“It’s a great honor for me to work with someone like a former women’s tennis champion,” Martin said.
And Gomez said, “It’s such an honor to work with two men who are the furthest thing from being childfree Catwomen.”
“The Bear” star Liza Colon Zayas urges viewers to vote
Others took a more direct approach to politics.
Liza Colon-Zayas, who plays cook Tina Marrero on “The Bear,” was overcome with emotion after winning the Emmy for best supporting actress in a comedy series, which was considered an upset as most pundits had expected either Meryl Streep (“Only Murders in the Building”) or Hannah Einbinder (“Hucks”) to win.
Colon Zayas seemed similarly surprised, acknowledging that she had not prepared a speech, despite her husband encouraging her to do so.
But after thanking her many colleagues and friends, she ended her speech with a simple, bipartisan appeal: “Thank you for giving me a new life with this show. And to all the Latina women watching me, keep believing and keep voting. Vote for your rights.”
Jon Stewart to discuss second assassination attempt on President Trump at 2024 Emmy Awards
Jon Stewart was back on a roll at the Emmys on Sunday night, taking home the trophy for best talk show after winning 11 similar awards during the show’s earlier run.
The host, who recently returned to his desk one day a week to comment on the current election season, first mentioned the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Sunday, the second such attempt in the past few months.
“Look, we’re living in scary times right now,” Stewart told reporters in the press room after his win. “I think the one rule we could all benefit from in terms of engagement is no shooting. No matter how angry you are, no matter who you hate, no matter who you hate, I believe instituting a no shooting policy is a way to calm things down a little bit.”
Contributors: Kelly Lawler, Brendan Morrow, Charles Trepany, Laura Trujillo
