Compared to other awards show this year, and even in years prior, the 2018 Emmys were a rather tame affair when it came to political commentary or stars using their platform to call out injustices.
But while some critics have lambasted the ceremony for failing to live up to the standard set by the Golden Globes or Oscars earlier this year, a handful of TV stars still managed to make headlines with their statements either during the ceremony or on the red carpet…
Jennifer Lewis sports all-Nike on the red carpet
No, she wasn’t just dressing for comfort (although this particular fashion statement was win-win in that respect), Jennifer actually sported an all-Nike ensemble on the red carpet as a show of solidarity with the sports company, after they put Colin Kaepernick at the centre of their latest campaign.
While many on the far-right lambasted the decision, given Colin’s prolific choice to kneel during the National Anthem as a silent protest against police brutality, Jennifer took the opportunity to show she supported both Nike and the football player himself.
Evan Rachel Wood brings a very special guest
When the Time’s Up movement dominated awards season earlier this year, many actresses made headlines when they brought prolific activists as their guest to the Golden Globes and Oscars.
‘Westworld’ star Evan continued this trend at the Emmys, which she attended with Nobel Peace Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen, the creator of the Sexual Assault Survivor’s Bill Of Rights.
She also told E! on the red carpet: “I’m here to also support ACLU and families separated at the border. It’s what I’m compelled to do.”
And speaking of the ACLU…
Evan was one of a few stars who pledged their support for the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) on the red carpet, either vocally or by wearing the organisation’s blue ribbon on the red carpet.
Explaining why she chose to show her support, TV personality Padma Lakshmi told People: “I was an immigrant, I was a little girl who was separated from my parents for two years, and I just feel if I have the good fortune to be here, then I should pay it forward or I should use what I’ve been given to greater good to pull other people up.”
Michael Che and Colin Jost’s opening monologue
With plenty of material to choose from in the news at the moment, the toughest part of being an awards show host at the moment is choosing what material to leave out of your opening monologue.
And while ‘SNL’ stars Michael and Colin have been criticised by some for going easy with their comedy routine, they did manage to name-check a number of contemporary issues.
Over the seven-minute monologue they addressed everything including sexual misconduct allegations against high-power figures in Hollywood (“It’s an honour to be here, sharing this night with the many, many talented and creative people in Hollywood who haven’t been caught yet!”), the rise of the alt-right (“things were very different [in 1949], gas was 17 cents a dollar, a new home cost $7000 and we all agreed Nazis were bad”), police brutality (“You know how great of an actress [Laurie Metcalf] has to be to get nominated for ‘Roseanne’, now? That’s like a cop being nominated for a BET Award”) and even a brief dig at President Trump (“my dream is the only thing the Obamas produce [at Netflix] is a new version of ‘The Apprentice’… and they get higher ratings”).
An opening number celebrating diversity
‘SNL’ cast members Kate McKinnon and Kenan Thompson kicked things off with a tongue-in-cheek musical number celebrating the leaps and bounds that TV has come on when it comes to diversity, featuring contributions from Titus Burgess and even RuPaul.
However, many viewers noted this was swiftly followed by a slew of mostly-white winners…
Regina King’s speech (and the win itself!)
The ‘Seven Seconds’ star beat stiff competition from the likes of Sarah Paulson, Michelle Dockery, Laura Dern and Jessica Biel in the Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or TV Movie category, and clearly wasn’t expecting to win the prize for her portrayal of Latrice Butler in the tense crime series, which focuses on racial tensions.
She did find the time to call out that the themes of ‘Seven Seconds’ are prevalent in our culture, noting: “Thank you for creating an opportunity to tell a story and hold a mirror up to what’s going on.”
John McCain honoured during the ‘In Memoriam’ feature
The polarising political figure – who famously ran against Barack Obama in the 2008 US presidential race – was the centre of an HBO documentary earlier this year and, following his death, was among the famous faces who the Emmys paid tribute to during their annual segment.
Comedy actress Rachel Brosnahan urges young women to vote
After collecting her Emmy, and noting she had viewers “captive”, the ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ actress said: “One of the things I love the most about this show… it’s about a woman who is finding her voice anew. It’s something that’s happening all over the country right now.
“One of the most important ways that we can find and use our voices is to vote. So if you haven’t already registered, do it on your cell phone right now. Vote, show up, and bring a friend to the polls.”
Ryan Murphy addresses violence against queer people as he collects award for ‘American Crime Story’
“One of out of every four LGBTQ people in this country will be the victim of a hate crime,” the hit TV producer said as he took to the stage. “We dedicate this award to them, to awareness, to stricter hate-crime laws, and mostly, this is for the memory of Jeff and David and Gianni and for all of those taken too soon.”
