NEWSJohn Mulaney Gets Muted at 2026 Emmys While Mocking DJ Khaled in NSFW Joke
John Mulaney was muted at the 2026 Emmys after making an NSFW joke about DJ Khaled.
Sept. 15 2026, Published 8:34 a.m. ET
John Mulaney kicked off one of the most talked-about moments of the 2026 Emmy Awards with a joke that was too spicy for the broadcast.
The 44-year-old comedian took the stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Monday, September 14, to present the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Before revealing the winner, Mulaney entertained the audience with several jokes, including a censored jab at DJ Khaled.
John Mulaney was muted during a joke about DJ Khaled at the 2026 Emmys.
“I believe it was DJ Khaled who said, ‘Real men don’t go down on their wives,’” Mulaney quipped at the awards show. “But these nominees know that that is B.S. They know there’s often less pressure on them if they do that first.”
Mulaney Takes Aim at the Nominees
John Mulaney referenced comments DJ Khaled made during a 2015 interview.
That wasn't the only joke Mulaney had ready for the actors competing for the particular award.
“Some of the men in this category do method acting, and some do regular, less annoying acting,” he joked.
He opened his presentation with another playful line about the all-male category.
“This award is for the guys. Just men being men. Finally, something for the fellas,” Mulaney added.
He then pulled out a library-borrowed copy of the 2007 self-help book A Guy’s Guide to Being a Man’s Man by Frank Vincent, the late actor known for his roles in Goodfellas and The Sopranos.
He read an excerpt from the book for the audience.
“A man’s man can be wearing the best clothes, drinking the finest wine, sitting with the most beautiful woman in Las Vegas, but if he doesn’t treat everyone around him with respect and class, he’s not a real man’s man,” Mulaney read. “He’s just a jabroni in a good suit.”
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Why Mulaney Mentioned DJ Khaled
John Mulaney also joked about method acting during his Emmy presentation.
Mulaney's bleeped punchline was tied to comments Khaled made during a 2015 interview.
The music producer, 50, discussed his relationship with his wife, Nicole Tuck, and explained why he did not perform oral s-- on her.
“A woman should praise the man — the king,” Khaled claimed at the time. “If you holding it down for your woman, I feel like the woman should praise. And a man should praise the queen. But you know, my way of praising is called, ha-ha, ‘How was dinner?’, ‘You like the house you living in? You like all them clothes you getting?”
He continued, “I’m taking care of your family, I’m taking care of my family…’ You know, I’m putting in the work.”
Mulaney's Emmy joke referenced those remarks while putting his own spin on the subject of what makes someone a "real man."
Mulaney Previously Roasted Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
John Mulaney previously roasted Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the Netflix Is a Joke Festival.
The Emmy moment comes months after Mulaney took another high-profile shot at a public figure.
During the Netflix Is a Joke Festival, the comedian delivered a sharp roast of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including a joke about his marriage to actress Cheryl Hines.
"That's how much he shouldn't be in the government — I know him," joked the comedian after doing a gravel-voiced impression of RFK Jr. "He's comedy adjacent, you know. He's married to that woman from Curb Your Enthusiasm and cheats on her like a dog."
"Sorry for the pearl clutch here," the comedian added after hearing audible gasps from the audience. "Sorry to drop that Public Domain information on the Hollywood Bowl."
The remark referenced 2024 reports about an alleged emotional or digital affair involving Kennedy and journalist Olivia Nuzzi. Kennedy has denied the allegations, while Hines has publicly stood by him.
