• Entertainment

At the Emmys, Great Winners Overshadowed a Negative Host

6 minute read

In many crucial respects, the Emmys were beautifully produced. Shame about that host.

ABC used TV’s marquee night — what had in the era of broadcast dominance been the night kicking off the TV season, and what is even still a meaningful showcase for TV’s top talent — to showcase a remarkably inclusive set of winners. The acting winners in the limited-series field alone included three black performers (The People v. O.J. Simpson’s Courtney B. Vance and Sterling K. Brown and American Crime’s Regina King) and a queer woman (Simpson’s Sarah Paulson). Elsewhere, Transparent winners in the acting and directing fields spoke forcefully in favor of inclusion, with actor Jeffrey Tambor saying he hoped to be the last non-trans person to play a trans role and director Jill Soloway urging viewers to “topple the patriarchy.”

But what ABC chose to do with the portion of the evening within its control was sour and strange. It wasn’t anything quite so reductive as that Jimmy Kimmel is another straight white man — last year’s host, Andy Samberg, shares all those demographic markers and yet showed up for a delightfully nonsensical bit with Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington and killed. It’s that Kimmel’s attitude, one of derision and disdain, wore poorly over the course of the broadcast. After Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang won a writing award for Master of None (during which Ansari was among only a very few of the evening’s winners to be cut off early) early in the show, Kimmel re-emerged to announce there was “almost too much diversity” in the show. It was a joke, sure, but an odd and nasty one that seemed to minimize winners as mere tokens used to check off a box.

Emmys 2016: See Celebrities on the Red Carpet

Priyanka Chopra arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Priyanka Chopra arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—Getty Images
Sofia Vergara arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Sofia Vergara arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Jeff Kravitz—Getty Images
Emily Ratajkowski arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Emily Ratajkowski arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
Kristen Bell arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Kristen Bell arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Todd Williamson—Getty Images
Taraji P. Henson arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Taraji P. Henson arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Kevin Mazur—Getty Images
Laverne Cox arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Laverne Cox arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Kevin Mazur—Getty Images
Jerry Seinfeld and Jessica Seinfeld arrive at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Jerry Seinfeld and Jessica Seinfeld arrive at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.John Shearer—Getty Images
Viola Davis arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Viola Davis arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Todd Williamson—Getty Images
Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin and Millie Bobby Brown arrive at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin and Millie Bobby Brown arrive at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—Getty Images
68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards - Arrivals
Sophie Turner arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Todd Williamson—Getty Images
Kit Harrington arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Kit Harrington arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Kevin Mazur—Getty Images
Heidi Klum arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Heidi Klum arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—Getty Images
Angela Bassett arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Angela Bassett arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Kevin Mazur—Getty Images
Michelle Dockery arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Michelle Dockery arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—Getty Images
Robin Dearden and Bryan Cranston arrive at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Robin Dearden and Bryan Cranston arrive at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images
Julia Louis-Dreyfus arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Kevin Mazur—Getty Images
Emilia Clarke arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Emilia Clarke arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—Getty Images
Constance Zimmer arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Constance Zimmer arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Alberto E. Rodriguez—Getty Images
David Schwimmer and Zoe Buckman arrive at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
David Schwimmer and Zoe Buckman arrive at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.John Shearer—Getty Images
John Travolta and Kelly Preston arrive at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
John Travolta and Kelly Preston arrive at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Todd Williamson—Getty Images
Kerry Washington arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Kerry Washington arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Kevin Mazur—Getty Images
Amy Poehler arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Amy Poehler arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Kevin Mazur—Getty Images
Tina Fey arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Tina Fey arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.John Shearer—Getty Images
Cuba Gooding, Jr. arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Cuba Gooding, Jr. arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Kevin Mazur—Getty Images
James Corden and Julia Carey arrive at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
James Corden and Julia Carey arrive at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.John Shearer—Getty Images
Sarah Paulson arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Sarah Paulson arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.John Shearer—Getty Images
Rami Malek arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Rami Malek arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.John Shearer—Getty Images
Kate McKinnon arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Kate McKinnon arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Todd Williamson—Getty Images
Sterling K. Brown and Ryan Michelle Bathe arrive at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Ryan Michelle Bathe and Sterling K. Brown arrive at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
Mandy Moore arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Mandy Moore arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Todd Williamson—Getty Images
America Ferrara arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
America Ferrara arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Alberto E. Rodriguez—Getty Images
Jane Krakowski arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Jane Krakowski arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.John Shearer—Getty Images
Tom Hiddleson arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Tom Hiddleson arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—Getty Images
Emmy Rossum arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Emmy Rossum arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—Getty Images
Reggie Watts arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Reggie Watts arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
Kerri Russell arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Kerri Russell arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Kevin Mazur—Getty Images
Kirsten Dunst arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Kirsten Dunst arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.John Shearer—Getty Images
Alia Shawkat arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Alia Shawkat arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
Hank Azaria arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Hank Azaria arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.David Livingston—Getty Images
Amanda Peet arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Amanda Peet arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.John Shearer—Getty Images
Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy arrive at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy arrive at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Todd Williamson—Getty Images
Portia Doubleday arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Portia Doubleday arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Jeff Kravitz—Getty Images
Neve Campbell arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Neve Campbell arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.John Shearer—Getty Images
Damon Wayons arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Damon Wayons arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—Getty Images
Jamie Brewer arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Jamie Brewer arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—Getty Images
Jay Duplass arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Jay Duplass arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—Getty Images
Jill Soloway arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Jill Soloway arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—Getty Images
Andy Samberg arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Andy Samberg arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Todd Williamson—Getty Images
William H. Macy arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
William H. Macy arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Alberto E. Rodriguez—Getty Images
Louie Anderson arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Louie Anderson arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—Getty Images
Ellie Kemper arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Ellie Kemper arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.John Shearer—Getty Images
Tracee Ellis Ross arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Tracee Ellis Ross arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Kevin Mazur—Getty Images
Randall Park arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Randall Park arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Todd Williamson—Getty Images
Carol Kane arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Carol Kane arrives at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—Getty Images

Kimmel also, bizarrely, went after producer Mark Burnett at quite some length in his monologue for having “created” Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump — as though the Apprentice host had not, in the time since his Burnett-produced reality show went off-air, been soft-pedaled and brought into the realm of normalcy by various component parts of the entertainment media, including Kimmel’s own talk show. And after Vance claimed the best actor in a miniseries prize for showing audiences the struggle and humanity behind the image of the late O.J. Simpson defense attorney Johnnie Cochran, Kimmel walked onstage and cracked that Cochran was surely watching “smiling up at us.” It was a joke both entirely unoriginal in its construction and deeply revealing of precisely why broadcast TV tends so frequently to lose to cable at this telecast. The sensibility viewers saw in The People v. O.J. Simpson is one with room for lacerating humor, along with rage and, most of all, empathy. Kimmel didn’t want to understand; he simply wanted to be heard. Simply being annoyed was argument enough.

It’s not clear why he was quite so out-of-sorts, beyond the fact that it’s his brand. The comedy and drama categories, won at the highest levels for a second year in a row by Veep and Game of Thrones, don’t quite tell the whole story. (Veep is, it’s worth noting, wildly deserving and perhaps should have won more awards, though, as is always the case after a great speech, I would hate to now take away Ansari’s writing or Soloway’s directing trophy; Game of Thrones, with a meaningful creative comeback in its sixth season, is TV’s signature hit and will likely win until it wraps.) The broadcast had something for just about any TV fan, including unexpected wins for cable drama actors Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) and Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) to the seeming coronation of a crowd-pleasing network comedian (Kate McKinnon) as the rare Saturday Night Live cast member with a statuette. Malek is a genuinely exciting new star who beat several far more established talents, in what felt like a bellwether for the ceremony’s future, guaranteeing its relevance by fulfilling its historical function of waking people up to shows they might not otherwise be watching. Neither the wending-to-a-fault Orphan Black nor McKinnon’s much-lauded Hillary Clinton impersonation would win my own personal TV awards. But the mere fact that these wins, unorthodox as honors for a sketch comic and an actress playing several clones were, seemed to reflect someone’s point of view (rather than the dull sort of consensus that the show has fallen victim to in the past) was worth celebrating.

Perhaps the evening’s best aspect was the generous hand with which time was given to many winners. The show ended right on time due to an unfortunately merciless hand with cutting off winners in behind-the-scenes categories and a couple of no-shows (Downton Abbey’s Maggie Smith and Bloodline’s Ben Mendelsohn, who were, not coincidentally, two of the more conventional winners). Oddly, Kimmel complained to the show’s last moment about how long and dull it was, though it’d have been three minutes shorter if he’d refrained from bringing movie actor Matt Damon onstage for a bit that I guess Kimmel fans must have understood. But through sheer volume, genuinely grateful winners who were allowed to get real ended up drowning out the host’s boredom with the enterprise. Baskets’ Louie Anderson, who plays a woman on the show, grew weepy while listing his many siblings and declaring he made a better woman than man; Veep’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus shook through a speech at whose conclusion she admitted she was mourning her recently deceased father; O.J.’s Brown and Vance were seemingly in competition as to who could more effusively praise his wife; and O.J.’s Paulson apologized to her character Marcia Clark on behalf of an America that had scorned her.

That much seemed like a rebuke to Kimmel, who’d made jokes at the expense of prosecutor Clark, in attendance as Paulson’s date. But at that point, no one but those keeping score remembered. It was a well-chosen enough winner, and one so eloquent and given so much time to express herself, that she erased the impact of a host who didn’t have much to say in the first place.

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