2025 Emmy Awards Highlights: Top Moments From The Ceremony

HBO’s “The Pitt,” a tense infirmary drama, and Apple TV+’s “The Studio,” a madcap satire of modern Hollywood, nabbed apical honors astatine nan 77th Primetime Emmy Awards connected Sunday night. The three-hour ceremonial was hosted by first-time emcee Nate Bargatze, a low-key stand-up comedian who mostly steered distant from governmental headlines.

Here’s what you request to cognize astir really nan nighttime unfolded:

‘SNL’ stars subordinate Bargatze for opening sketch

“Saturday Night Live” formed members James Austin Johnson, Mikey Day and Bowen nan joined Bargatze for a acold unfastened skewering nan modern tv landscape. Bargatze, dressed successful a achromatic laboratory coat, portrayed Philo T. Farnsworth, nan inventor who developed nan first all-electronic tv system. The mounting was historical, but nan gags were contemporary.

In nan sketch, Bargatze’s Farnworth envisioned a caller televisual mean called streaming — “a caller measurement for these companies to suffer money.” When asked by an underling whether location will 1 time beryllium a web for achromatic people, Farnsworth said yes: CBS. (The web acronym really stands for Columbia Broadcasting System.)

Stephen Colbert riffs connected cancellation, past wins

Stephen Colbert took nan shape astatine Los Angeles' Peacock Theater to present nan nominees for champion character successful a drama series. But first, he addressed nan elephant successful nan room: CBS’ determination to return his late-night show disconnected nan air. “While I person your attention, is anyone hiring? Because I’ve sewage 200 very well-qualified candidates present pinch maine tonight, who will beryllium disposable successful June,” Colbert said.

CBS announced successful July that “The Late Show pinch Stephen Colbert” would extremity successful 2026, aft much than a decade connected nan air. The news came arsenic CBS’ genitor company, Paramount, prepared to complete a blockbuster merger pinch Skydance — and faced scrutiny from nan Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission.

Colbert returned to nan shape hours later to accept nan Emmy for outstanding talk series.

“Sometimes, you only cognize really overmuch you emotion thing erstwhile you get a consciousness you mightiness beryllium losing it. ... I person ne'er loved my state much desperately. God bless America. Stay beardown and beryllium brave, and if nan elevator tries to bring you down, spell crazy and punch a higher floor,” Colbert said to thunderous applause.

‘Severance’ character Tramell Tillman makes history

Tramell Tillman made history arsenic nan first Black man to triumph successful nan champion supporting character successful a play bid category. Tillman, who stars connected “Severance” arsenic firm enforcer Seth Milchick, riveted nan assemblage pinch his acceptance speech. He paid tribute to his “first acting coach” — his mother, who was seated successful nan auditorium. He past quoted her proposal to him.

“You retrieve what you want to remember. You make clip for what you want to make for. Do nan work. Show up. And astir importantly, for nan emotion of God, don’t embarrass maine successful public,” Tillman said. (He dedicated his grant to his mom.)

Hannah Einbinder and others advocator for Gaza ceasefire

“Hacks” prima Hannah Einbender, accepting nan Emmy for champion supporting character successful a drama bid and wearing a reddish “Artists4Ceasefire” pin, closed her reside pinch 2 words: “Free Palestine.” She was not nan only attendee who advocated for Palestinian authorities and an extremity to nan warfare successful Gaza.

Meg Stalter, 1 of Einbender’s "Hacks" co-stars, carried a purse that said “CEASEFIRE!” Javier Bardem, prima of “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” wore a keffiyeh and told a newsman connected nan reddish carpet that he would “not work” pinch immoderate intermezo institution that “justifies aliases supports nan genocide” — echoing a pledge he’s made pinch others successful nan industry.

Television Academy chair sticks up for PBS

Cris Abrego, nan president of nan Television Academy, nan statement that oversees nan Emmy Awards, drew cheers and applause from nan crowd pinch remarks that focused successful portion connected nan Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), nan nonprofit statement that precocious mislaid each national backing and past announced it would unopen down.

The CPB distributed backing to PBS and NPR stations nationwide, turning it into what Abrego characterized arsenic “the backbone of American nationalist media.” He mentioned famed PBS bid “Sesame Street” and “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” past blasted lawmakers.

“Congress voted to defund” nan CPB, Abrego said to large boos from nan crowd, “and soundlessness yet different taste institution.”

He added: “That’s a reminder conscionable really overmuch our activity present matters, particularly correct now. In a clip erstwhile section dominates nan headlines, storytelling still has nan powerfulness to merge us.”

Malcolm-Jamal Warner remembered

“The Cosby Show” prima Phylicia Rashad opened nan yearly In Memoriam video package pinch a tribute to her erstwhile co-star, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, nan Emmy-nominated character who died from drowning connected July 20. “He remains successful our hearts," Rashad said.

The video — accompanied by a philharmonic capacity from Vince Gill and Lainey Wilson — included nan names and photos of different luminaries who died successful nan past year, including Julian McMahon, Teri Garr, Ozzy Osbourne, Anne Burrell, Bill Moyers, George Wendt, Richard Chamberlain, Michelle Trachtenberg, John Amos, David Lynch and Quincy Jones.

“They made america judge successful thing bigger: nan champion wrong us,” Rashad said.

The ticking clock

Bargatze said astatine nan apical of nan show that he planned to donate $100,000 to nan Boys & Girls Clubs of America — but, successful a bid to support each acceptance speeches wrong nan clip limit, he would subtract $1,000 for each 2nd a winner’s remarks went complete nan allotted 45 seconds. If nan victor stayed under nan clip limit, though, Bargatze said, he’d put $1,000 per 2nd backmost connected nan board.

“It is brutal,” Bargatze said. “What are you going to do, though? I can’t alteration it. This is nan crippled I made up, and these are nan rules."

The aid tally, tracked successful a real-time schematic astatine nan bottommost of nan TV screen, bounced up and down passim nan night. HBO late-night big John Oliver managed to recoup immoderate of nan mislaid rate pinch a rapid-fire reside he delivered successful nan style of an auctioneer. The penning unit down “The Studio,” likewise, kept it tight.

Still, astatine nan extremity of nan night, nan locator had dipped beneath $0. That's erstwhile Bargatze said CBS would lend $100,000 and he’d footwear successful $250,000 for a full aid of $350,000.