Mock America great again
EMMYS TAUNT DON AS ‘VEEP,’ ‘HANDMAID’ RULE
AT AN EMMYS ceremony where TV shows centering on political satire and a dystopian future were the big winners, the progress of real-life society played a breakout role.
Multiple nominees of color made history Sunday, while “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a bleak drama about a male-dominated society, and “Veep,” a comedy about corrupt and inept politicians and the people who surround them, took home the night’s biggest prizes.
HBO’s “Veep” won best comedy series for a third-straight year, while “The Handmaid’s Tale” beat out a crowded field to win outstanding drama series in the firstever Emmy win for online streaming service Hulu. The lead actresses in those shows made history, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus of “Veep” winning her sixth Emmy for the same role, and “Handmaid’s” Elisabeth Moss earning her first in nine nominations.
Criticisms of President Trump remained a central storyline throughout the night, thanks to a wave of jokes by host Stephen Colbert and presenters, as well as numerous politically infused acceptance speeches.
Donald Glover became the first African-American director to take home the trophy for outstanding directing in a comedy series for “Atlanta,” the FX series he created and also stars in. He later won the award for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series.
“I want to thank Trump for making black people No. 1 on the most-oppressed list,” Glover, 33, told the crowd at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles during his second acceptance speech. “He’s the reason I’m probably up here.”
The honors marked Glover’s first two Emmys.
Riz Ahmed, meanwhile, became both the first Muslim actor and the first Asian man to receive an Emmy in winning best lead actor in a limited series for his HBO drama “The Night Of.” Also setting a major milestone was “Master of None” writer Lena Waithe, who became the first African-American woman to win a comedy writing Emmy.
Louis-Dreyfus set a record Sunday when she was named best lead actress in a comedy series for the sixth straight year. The honor made her the first performer to win six Emmys for a single role. It also marked her eighth Emmy overall, tying her with Cloris Leachman for the most ever.
Moss, meanwhile, was named best lead actress in a drama series.
NBC’s wildly popular “This Is Us” came up short in the outstanding drama series category after entering the night as a favorite.
Colbert kicked off the night with a barrage of Trump jokes — though none was a bigger hit than when he brought former White House press secretary Sean Spicer out for a surprise appearance.
“What really matters to Donald Trump is ratings,” Colbert said toward the end of his opening monologue. “You got to have the big numbers, and I certainly hope we achieve that tonight. Unfortunately, at this point we have no way of knowing how big our audience is. I mean is there anyone who can say how big the audience is? Sean, do you know?”
Spicer emerged from backstage with his podium and poked fun at his false declaration to the media in January that Trump had drawn the biggest inauguration crowd ever.
“This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys, period,” Spicer joked amid laughter from the crowd.
“Saturday Night Live” was a major winner at Sunday’s show, with Kate McKinnon — who portrayed Hillary Clinton on the show — taking home the award for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series.
Shortly afterward, Alec Baldwin won best supporting actor in a comedy series for his recurring impersonation of Trump on “SNL.”
Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon’s HBO drama “Big Little Lies” won best limited series or TV movie. Kidman was also named best lead actress in a limited series or movie.