PHOTOSRita Wilson Raps & 'Ted Lasso' Star Brett Goldstein Can't Help But Drop F-Bombs: The Best Moments From The 2021 Emmy Awards
Sept. 20 2021, Published 12:39 a.m. ET
Television’s biggest night is over — and the competition was fierce.
Cedric the Entertainer hosted the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards live from L.A. Live's Event Deck in Los Angeles. The in-person broadcast was a welcome change from last year, when Jimmy Kimmel hosted the virtual 2020 Emmy Awards, which saw winners accepting their awards from home via livestream amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The night's biggest winners included The Crown, which accumulated seven wins — including Olivia Colman and Josh O’Connor taking home the honor of Outstanding Lead Actress and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, respectively. Ted Lasso fared just as well, snagging four Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
Scroll through to check out the best moments from the 2021 Emmy Awards.
The event kicked off with host Cedric the Entertainer and LL Cool J performing their own fun renedition of Biz Markie's "Just A Friend" before several celebrities — including Mandy Moore, Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson — took over the mic. However, it was Rita Wilson's rap skills that really stole the show, as she spit out, "Who knew they had so much TV/This HBO Max I got for free/And this rap wouldn’t be complete/I need to give a shout out to Sesame Street/So many characters I love, in fact/That’s Bert and Ernie’s business, we don’t care about that."
As OK! previously reported, Seth Rogen had no issue calling out the annual award show for hosting a packed audience in tight quarters amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "They said this was outdoors, it’s not!" the Pineapple Express actor said. "They lied to us. We’re in a hermetically-sealed tent right now.”
Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham screamed for joy (and, at point, crouched down in disbelief) while accepting her award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. After telling series creator Jason Sudeikis, “You changed my life with this,” she turned to Juno Temple — who was also nominated — and sweetly informed her costar, “I swear to God, if I could break off one of [her award's] arms and give it to you, because that's what you are to me ... if you ever leave my life, I'm going to stalk you.”
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Much like his Ted Lasso character Roy Kent, Brett Goldstein couldn’t help but curse once he got onstage after snagging a trophy for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series. “I was very, very specifically told I’m not allowed to swear," the British actor said, "so this speech is going to be f***ing short."
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series or Movie winner Evan Peters took a moment to thank his parents and the Academy, before screaming a shoutout to Mare Of Easstown costar Kate Winslet "for being Kate Winslet."
After accepting the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Sudeikis took the opportunity to thank his kids, mentors, colleagues and Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, who, he joked, "went to go take a dump”.
The cast of Schitt's Creek — Dan Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Annie Murphy and Eugene Levy — was forced to improvise when the teleprompter failed to work at a crucial moment. Luckily, the quartet were complete pros, and managed to kill time by giving fans the Rose family reunion we didn't know we needed.
Winslet — who won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Mare of Easttown — excitedly exclaimed, "Mom, Mom, they're standing up!" as she recieved a standing ovation. Not only did the actress honor her fellow nominees, but she also gave a sweet shoutout to her husband Edward Abel Smith "who I get to hold hands with for the rest of my life. Yes, I am the winner!"
I May Destroy You's Michaela Coel — who took home the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Television Limited Series or Movie — dedicated "this story to every single survivor of sexual assault", noting, "Write the tale that scares you, that makes you feel uncertain, that isn’t comfortable."
