The 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards was one for the record books!
Sunday’s (September 22) broadcast of the 71st annual awards show made history. With a historic 32 nominations in total, tonight’s ceremony made big winners of HBO’s Game of Thrones and Amazon’s Fleabag, as Pose star Billy Porter and When They See Us actor Jharrel Jerome both made history with their respective lead actor victories.
In case you missed it, scroll down for the biggest highlights from the Primetime Emmys below.
Homer Simpson's Hosting Gig Falls Through
No host? No problem. The Primetime Emmys kicked off with a hilarious opening bit from Homer Simpson, which ended painfully for the Simpsons character when a falling piano sent him plummeting straight through the stage. Fortunately, black-ish star Anthony Anderson rushed to pick up where he left off, but not without plotting to get away with a few Emmys for himself before tasking an unprepared Bryan Cranston to take over.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge Wins Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
No one smiled harder than Phoebe Waller-Bridge tonight, who took home lead actress in a comedy for Fleabag. In addition, the showrunner’s Amazon series also claimed the most Emmys of the ceremony with four wins, including for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.
Jharrel Jerome Wins Lead Actor in a Limited Series
"I feel like I should just be in the Bronx right now, chilling and waiting for my mom's cooking," Jerome told the audience in his passionate speech, dedicating his Emmy win for his performance in When They See Us to "the men we know as the Exonerated Five." The Dominican-American actor also made history this evening as the first Afro-Latino to win an acting award at the Emmys.
Ben Stiller Hilariously Confuses Bob Newhart as a 'Dead Legend'
Ben Stiller and Bob Newhart did a bit where Stiller honors dead legends, jokingly mistaking Newhart as among the departed, to which the acting veteran retorts, “This legend is gonna kick your (butt). That way you'll know I'm alive.” (LOL.)
Lorne Michaels Shares Heartwarming Adam Sandler 'SNL' Memory While Accepting Best Variety Sketch Series
Michaels delivered a touching acceptance speech on Adam Sandler’s tribute to the late Chris Farley during his anniversary episode on SNL earlier this year, which won the show the Emmy for Best Variety Sketch Series. Watch it below.
Halsey Covers Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time' for In Memoriam Tribute
Halsey took the stage tonight to perform a haunting, stripped down rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” to honor some of the beloved stars we lost this year, including Gloria Vanderbilt, Kristoff St. John, and many others. Watch the performance below.
Billy Porter Makes History With Lead Actor Win
The Pose star delivered a moving speech while accepting his award in the leading category for drama, and recited powerful quote from the iconic James Baldwin. “The category is love, y’all! Love! I am overwhelmed and overjoyed to see this day,” Porter said. “I have the right (to be here), you have the right, we all have the right.” With tonight's win, Porter makes history as the first openly gay black man to win an Emmy in the lead actor category.
'Game Of Thrones' Wins Top Prize Despite Low Emmys Outcome
Even with the most nominations of the night (14), Game of Thrones surprisingly walked away with two only trophies by ceremony’s end — one of which being the biggest of the event. Peter Dinklage went home with the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, as the show bagged the highest honor for Outstanding Drama Series, beating out stiff competitors like Killing Eve, Pose, and This Is Us.
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