The 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards took place in Los Angeles on Monday night after being postponed due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. The awards show, hosted by actor and comedian Anthony Anderson, included historic wins and powerful speeches. Here are the top 10 memorable moments from the Emmys.
Christina Applegate gets a standing ovation
Applegate, who has MS, presented the first award of the night for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series. She walked out with a cane alongside host Anthony Anderson and another escort, who helped her to the microphone. As the audience gave her a standing ovation, Applegate joked: “You’re totally shaming my disability by standing up.”
Applegate, who began acting as an infant when she appeared as a baby on “Days of Our Lives,” has been nominated for eight Emmys, winning outstanding guest actress in a comedy series in 2003 for her role on “Friends.”
Applegate revealed in 2021 that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The disease affects the central nervous system and can cause symptoms like fatigue, numbness, pain, memory problems and even blindness or paralysis.
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Quinta Brunson lives her comedic dream
The “Abbot Elementary” star won for outstanding actress in a comedy series – becoming the first Black woman in more than 40 years to take home that award. In 1981, Isabel Sanford, the last Black woman to take home an award, won for her portrayal of Louise Jefferson in “The Jeffersons” – a role she was nominated for a whopping seven times.
During her tearful acceptance speech, Brunson said “Abbott Elementary” – a show that she created – allows her to live her dream of acting out comedy. She admitted she didn’t prepare a speech and thanked her family, husband and cast.
In 2022, she won the Emmy for outstanding writing for a comedy series for the show.
Elton John earns EGOT status
The singer won the Emmy for outstanding variety special (live) for his show “Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium.” The Emmy makes him one of just 19 EGOT winners – meaning he has been awarded every one of the four major entertainment awards.
Other EGOT winners – those who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony – include Viola Davis, Mel Brooks and Audrey Hepburn.
The 76-year-old star was not there to accept his Emmy, because he is recovering from a knee operation, but his partner David Furnish was at the ceremony and said John “screamed” when he learned about his win.
Anthony Anderson’s mom wraps up acceptance speeches
Actor Anthony Anderson hosted the awards show and told the audience that instead of the typical play-off music that signals them to wrap up their acceptance speeches, his mom would be the one to kick them off stage.
During a bit in his opening monologue, Anderson’s mom, Doris, told him to “shut up.” “That’s enough, I want to go to the after-party,” she joked.
Throughout the ceremony, she held up cue cards during acceptance speeches to let stars know when they were getting too long-winded.
Ali Wong makes history
Ali Wong, who starred in “Beef,” looked shocked when she won outstanding lead actress in a limited series or movie – sharing a kiss with her boyfriend Bill Hader before she went up on stage to accept the award.
With the win, Wong became the first Asian woman to take home a lead acting award at the Emmys. She also made history when she nabbed the award at the Golden Globes earlier this month.
Wong thanked her parents and daughters. “I wouldn’t be standing here without my amazing parents, my mother and my father, who I so wish was alive to share this with me. My hilarious father, who loved me unconditionally and taught me the value of failure,” she said. She thanked her daughters for inspiring her.
The Netflix show earned 13 nominations and won five awards on Monday, including outstanding limited or anthology series.
Jennifer Coolidge thanks “all the evil gays”
Jennifer Coolidge won outstanding supporting actress in a drama series for her portrayal of the whacky and wealthy Tanya McQuoid in “The White Lotus.”
During her acceptance speech, Coolidge, 62, paid homage to the character, who in the show has the dark realization that her gay friends are trying to murder her on a yacht, exclaiming: “These gays, they’re trying to murder me.”
On stage, she thanked “all the evil gays,” getting a laugh from the audience. She also won an Emmy for playing the character – an audience favorite – in 2022.
During her speech, Coolidge got a reminder from Doris Anderson that time was running out and she needed to wrap up.
Niecy Nash-Betts gives powerful speech
Nash-Betts won outstanding supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie for her role in the Ryan Murphy drama “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” She thanked a long list of people including Murphy and co-star Evan Peters.
“And you know who I want to thank? I want to thank me,” she said, receiving laughs and cheers. “For believing in me and doing what they said I could not do. And I want to say to myself in front of all you beautiful people, ‘Go on girl with your bad self. You did that.'”
“Finally, I accept this award on behalf of every Black and brown woman who has gone unheard, yet over-policed. Like Glenda Cleveland, like Sandra Bland, like Breonna Taylor,” she continued. In the anthology series, Nash played Cleveland, who tried to alert police about Jeffery Dahmer – a serial killer and sex offender – but was ignored.
“As an artist, my job is to speak truth to power, and baby I’mma do it till the day I die. Mama, I won,” she said.
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“The Bear” actors share a kiss on stage
When “The Bear” won the outstanding comedy series, the entire cast went up on stage to accept the award. Matty Matheson, a chef and restauranteur who acted on the show about the staff at a Chicago restaurant, began to thank the restaurant industry when co-star Ebon Moss-Bachrach interrupted his speech with a kiss.
After Moss-Bachrach, who won the Emmy for outstanding supporting actor, let Matheson out of the long lip-lock, the actor continued his speech. “I just love restaurants so much – the good, the bad. It’s rough—we’re all broken inside, and every single day we’ve got to show up and cook and make people feel good by eating something and sitting at a table, and it’s really beautiful,” he said. “And all of us here get to make a show together, and we get to make people feel good—or filled with anxiety or triggered, it seems. But this is really amazing, it’s beautiful.”
Moss-Bachrach also joined Matheson to throw out the names of people to thank and Anderson’s mom held up a sign that read: “Wrap it up now. Love, Mama.”
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Kieran Culkin asks wife for another baby
Culkin, who played Roman Roy on “Succession” won for lead actor in a drama series, beating out co-stars Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong.
After tearfully thanking his cast members, writers, mom and manager, Culkin addressed his wife. “Jazz, thank you for sharing your life with me and for giving me two amazing kids,” he said. “I love you so many and so much. And Jazz, I want more.”
The crowd erupted in laughter and Culkin added: “You said maybe if I win.”
“Grey’s Anatomy” reunion
Justin Chambers, Katherine Heigl, Ellen Pompeo, James Pickens Jr. and Chandra Wilson, the stars of the hit medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” paid tribute to the cast, crew – and fans – of the long-running show. “Grey’s Anatomy,” which premiered in 2005, has had more than 400 episodes over 19 seasons and is the longest-running primetime medical drama in TV history.
The cast of “Cheers,” also reunited at a replica of the bar the sitcom was based on. And “Sopranos” stars Michael Imperioli and Lorraine Bracco paid tribute to the hit drama 25 years after it first aired.
