Emmy winners take aim at Trump
LOS ANGELES: The Emmy awards show was peppered with political jokes and pointed speeches yesterday, as host Stephen Colbert took shots at United States President Donald Trump, Sean Spicer made a surprise appearance and Trump won an Emmy — sort of.
Alec Baldwin, who won a comedy supporting actor Emmy for parodying Trump on NBC’s sketch series Saturday Night Live, accepted his award on stage and said, ‘‘I suppose I should say, at long last Mr President, here is your Emmy.’’
Trump’s lack of an Emmy win during his longrunning stint hosting NBC’s The Apprentice and
The Celebrity Apprentice has been a sore spot for the now president, who has previously bemoaned not winning.
Colbert opened the Emmys ceremony with a musical number that touched on climate change, news media and included Julia LouisDreyfus, dressed as her foulmouthed fictitious president Selina Meyer from Veep, singing ‘‘Imagine if your president was not beloved by Nazis.’’
Colbert later poked fun at Trump, calling him ‘‘the biggest TV star of the last year’’.
Many of the stars taking the Emmys stage also threw jabs at the president.
Donald Glover, who won two Emmys including best comedy actor for his FX show Atlanta, joked on stage, ‘‘I want to thank Trump for making black people No 1 on the most oppressed list. He’s the reason I’m up here, I think.’’
LouisDreyfus, who won best comedy actress for a record sixth time for her role as Meyer, said of the coming Veep season, ‘‘We did have whole storyline about an impeachment, but we abandoned that because we were worried that someone else might get to it first.’’
Former White House press secretary Spicer walked on to the Emmy stage wheeling a podium and stunning the starstudded audience, including Melissa McCarthy, who won a guest actress Emmy for portraying him on NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
‘‘This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys, period, both in person and around the world,’’ Spicer said, pointing his finger at Colbert.
‘‘Wow, that really soothes my fragile ego,’’ the host deadpanned, before pointing at Spicer and saying, ‘‘Melissa McCarthy everyone, give it up,’’ as Spicer laughed and shook his head. — Reuters