The 72nd annual Emmy Awards ceremony was, like all other things in 2020, a bit different. The show was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and was absent an audience, though Kimmel’s first minutes on stage were juxtaposed with clips of laughing celebrities before eventually giving up the gag and putting up the lights on the empty arena.
When the lights went up at around 5 minutes and 20 seconds into his monologue, Kimmel quipped, “Of course, I’m here all alone. Of course, we don’t have an audience. This isn’t a MAGA rally, it’s the Emmys.”
Instead of an audience, the seats at the Emmys were filled with cardboard cut-outs of the nominees.
Check out the video below:
https://twitter.com/jimmykimmel/status/1307849215318532097?s=20
Kimmel’s remark was not the only jab at President Donald Trump throughout the night. Jesse Armstrong, who created the show “Succession” — which won four awards — presented a list of “un-thank yous” and also took a jab at Trump.
Among those Armstrong named were “the virus for keeping us all apart this year” and to “President Trump for his crummy and uncoordinated response.”
Omg the UNthank yous from the Succession crew is the most fitting speech of all of 2020!
— Renee (@PettyLupone) September 21, 2020
This man UN thanked COVID, trump, Boris Johnson, nationalists and trash media.
That’s a 1st! Good show. #Emmys pic.twitter.com/zjBb58hO68
During his previous life as a television show host, Trump was a regular at the Emmys — but then as well, Trump complained that the Emmys were rigged against him. His show, “The Apprentice” was nominated seven times but never won the award.
Just after the 2012 show, he tweeted, “The Emmys are all politics, that’s why, despite nominations, The Apprentice never won–even though it should have many times over.”
The Emmys are all politics, that's why, despite nominations, The Apprentice never won–even though it should have many times over.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2012
And in January 2013, the president wrote on Twitter, “According to many, and while nominated, I would have won the Emmy many times except for my politics.”
According to many, and while nominated, I would have won the Emmy many times except for my politics. @PrimetimeEmmys
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2013
In recent years, the president has trashed the Emmys and the hosts. In 2017, he tweeted that the show was “the worst ever.” But the 2017 Emmys did feature at least one bright spot for Trump — former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and Trump loyalist appeared on the stage that year.