Emmys 2022: The 6 biggest talking points as Zendaya, Lee Jung-jae and Succession triumph
The biggest night in television has wrapped in Los Angeles, with ‘The White Lotus’ cleaning up and Lizzo, Zendaya and Jason Sudeikis among those going home happy.
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Your support makes all the difference.The 2022 Emmys saw a galaxy of stars gather in Los Angeles to celebrate the best in television.
Actor and Saturday Night Live comedian Kenan Thompson oversaw proceedings at the Microsoft Theater, bringing wit and charm to the role despite some lacklustre sketches.
The tight three-hour telecast produced plenty of memorable moments. Here are the biggest talking points from the 2022 Emmys:
The White Lotus reigns supreme
The night’s biggest winner was The White Lotus. The razor-sharp social satire won Outstanding Limited Series as well as two awards for creator Mike White (one for directing, another for writing). It also gave Murray Bartlett and Jennifer Coolidge their first Emmys with supporting actor nods. Coolidge delivered one of the night’s most entertaining speeches, culminating in her bursting into dance when they tried to play her off. White, meanwhile, referred to his time on reality show Survivor when he jokingly pleaded: “Don’t vote me off the island!”
Succession creator Jesse Armstrong fails to ‘keep it royalist’
Hotly-tipped Emmys favourite Succession had a good night, winning Outstanding Drama Series at the very end of the night as well as a writing award for creator Jesse Armstrong and a supporting actor gong for Matthew Macfadyen. Despite his writing accolades, Armstrong may end up wishing he’d polished his final acceptance speech a little more. “Big week for successions,” he said on stage. “New King in the UK, this for us. Evidently a little bit more voting for us than Prince Charles. I’m not saying we’re more legitimate in our position than he is, we’ll leave that to other people...” Armstrong’s words were met with uncomfortable sounds from the audience, with actor Brian Cox, who was also on stage, chiming in with the advice: “Keep it royalist! Keep it royalist!”
Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae and director Hwang Dong-hyuk make history
There were few winners in the brutal South Korean survival drama Squid Game, but the series produced a couple of historic ones at the Emmys. Star Lee Jung-jae became the first Asian actor to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, while director Hwang Dong-hyuk became the first Asian director to win in the Outstanding Drama Series category and the first ever director to win for a non-English language series.
Sheryl Lee Ralph shows off her vocal talents while delivering the ‘Greatest Emmy speech of all time’
Sheryl Lee Ralph delighted fans after winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Barbara Howard, a veteran teacher on Abbott Elementary. Howard belted out a snatch of “Endangered Species” by jazz singer Dianne Reeves before proclaiming that: “This is what not giving up on yourself looks like.” Watch her staggering speech here.
Unlike his girlfriends, DiCaprio jokes don’t get old
Jokes about Leonardo DiCaprio refusing to date anyone over the age of 25 have become something of an awards show staple over the last few years - but Kenan Thompson still drew a shocked response with his line: “Twenty-six is a weird age in Hollywood... You’re old enough to play a highschooler but too old to date Leonardo DiCaprio.”
Ted Lasso is still cream of the comedy crop
Football sitcomTed Lasso was once again celebrating after raising several trophies. As well as Outstanding Comedy Series, the night also saw acting wins for stars Jason Sudeikis and Brett Goldstein.
Here’s how the rest of the star-studded evening unfolded:
Issa Rae appreciation time...
Issa Rae is up for an Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her hit show Insecure.
Check out our recent interview with the star...
Issa Rae interview: ‘I was socially taught to shun female rappers’
The actor, writer, producer who created ‘Insecure’ talks to Amanda Whiting about her new HBO comedy ‘Rap Sh!t’, and the day she realised that childhood prohibitions about sexualised female rappers were ‘essentially slut-shaming these women’
Good luck Billy Crudup
Billy Crudup is up for an award for his performance in The Morning Show opposite Jennifer Aniston and Reece Witherspoon.
Read our interview with him here, in which he talks about how he has struggled with the “lack of versatility” in the leading-man roles he has been offered over the years, and how he is instead attracted to “inscrutable characters”...
Billy Crudup interview: ‘Pouting is not the future’
He’s been called the ‘leading man that almost was’, but the actor has bounced back as slithery TV exec Cory Ellison in Emmy-winning series ‘The Morning Show’. As it returns to Apple TV+ this week, he tells Helen Brown about power dynamics, privilege, and finding his way through the culture wars
Stars we can expect to see at the Emmys
Here are some snaps of TV stars we’re hoping to see at the ceremony, from the Emmy Nominees Night event hosted by The Hollywood Reporter and SAG-AFTRA on 10 September...
Euphoric about Euphoria
Overall, Euphoria landed 16 Emmy nominations this year.
Check out our interview with one of its biggest stars Sydney Sweeney here and read about the show’s sublime soundtrack below...
How UK artist Labrinth helped create Euphoria’s warped reality
Even the ugliest things are made beautiful in the hit Sky Atlantic show’s stylised tableau of teenhood. Annabel Nugent talks to composer Labrinth, cinematographer Marcell Rév, and music supervisor Jen Malone about how they created its warped reality
Only Murders in the Building is up for numerous awards tonight
Only Murders in the Building is up for a whopping 17 awards this year, an incredible feat for a first season.
Our writer Tom Murray was a fan straight from the off. Read about why he liked it so much, below...
Why everyone should be watching Only Murders in the Building in this anxious era
The Steve Martin comedy is not thought-provoking or controversial, it does not need a trigger warning and it does not keep you up at night, writes Tom Murray. But it’s a comfort blanket, a lovely, warm chicken soup, if you will, that offsets the bleak news cycle
Will tonight’s Emmys serve up any iconic moments like this?
As the Emmys kick-off draws ever closer, many have been reminiscing on their favourite bits from previous years. Just like this brilliant Amy Poehler moment...
Power to Will Poulter
Will Poulter is one of the many British stars up for an Emmy tonight, for his performance as a pharmaceutical rep in the opioid drama Dopesick.
Read our recent interview with him here (ducks feature heavily)...
Will Poulter: ‘Method acting is no excuse for inappropriate behaviour’
The actor, who’s been transforming himself into ‘the perfect being’ for his role in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’, takes a break from his ferocious training schedule to tell Ellie Harrison about his new drama ‘Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?’, his fraught relationship with social media, and the aftermath of that three-way kiss in ‘We’re the Millers’
All the Emmy nominees
Need a refresher on who’s nominated tonight?
Check out the full list below...
Emmy nominations 2022 – the full list
These are the best TV shows of the past year, according to voters
The best-dressed stars on this year’s red carpet
The stars have started to arrive for this year’s Emmys, which means it’s time to bask in some award-worthy outfits. Our favourite look so far has been served by Orange Is the New Black actor Laverne Cox, whose long-sleeve statement mini dress seems to invoke Fritz Lang’s 1927 classic Metropolis. Check out more eye-catching ensembles here:
The best-dressed stars on the 2022 Emmys red carpet
Emmy Awards return to Microsoft Theater for 74th annual awards
Kate McKinnon reveals her cure for the SNL blues
Two-time Emmy winner Kate McKinnon is on the Emmys red (technically gold) carpet, and the departing Saturday Night Live star has just revealed how she plans to deal with the “FOMO” of no longer appearing on the weekly sketch show: “I have a bunch of seasons of Married At First Sight that I have not dug into yet, so that’s mostly my plan for Saturday nights,” she jokes, before adding that she’s: “So proud of everyone who’s taking over” on SNL.
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