Fleabag Upset at 69th Emmy Awards -

By Regina Vahey and Noelia Veras

The 2019 Emmy Awards, broadcast by CBS, took place on September 23, highlighting the best television shows of the year. The award show commemorated the hard-working individuals that crafted these programs from the actors, actresses, writers, directors, and everyone involved behind the scenes.

The night was chock-full of memorable moments including an interesting introduction to the ceremony. The attendees were welcomed by Homer Simpson, whose speech was interrupted by a piano falling from the ceiling. black-ish actor Anthony Anderson frantically rushed to save the show, and Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston continued with a profound tribute to television. The introduction ended with a comical banter between Ben Stiller and Bob Newhart.

When They See Us star Jharrel Jerome’s acceptance speech for Best Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie highlighted the “Exonerated Five,” that were falsely accused for a crime they did not commit. Jerome’s co-stars, as well as the rest of the audience, rose to a standing ovation.

Alex Borstein’s acceptance speech for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series included an inspiring story of her grandmother surviving the Holocaust. In a routine massacre, Borstein’s grandmother asked a guard what would happen if she stepped out of line. The guard said he did not have the heart to kill her, but someone else would. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel actress ended her speech with, “And for that, I am here. And for that, my children are here. So step out of line, ladies. Step out of line.”

The In Memoriam segment remembered the television stars and creatives, including Cameron Boyce and Doris Day, who passed away this year. As a slideshow played in the background, and Halsey sang a stripped-down version of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.”

Many celebrities who were not nominated for awards were still in attendance, some of whom even presented awards. Zendaya Coleman and RuPaul presented the award for Outstanding Directing For a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special. When it came time for Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner to present the Competition Program award, the audience awkwardly laughed at Kim when she explained her family’s show as, “real people, just being themselves.” Maya Rudolph presented the award for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series alongside Ike Barinholz. The comedic duo performed a “bit” on Lasik eye surgery that had the audience chuckling.

Catholic U Project Arts hosted this year’s Emmys watch party in the food court of the Pryz. According to its Nest page, the purpose of this club is to “unite the university community in the appreciation of art.” This event definitely fostered a sense of welcome and comfort as they provided a relaxed atmosphere to watch the show. The club provided candy, popcorn, and soda for those in attendance.

This year’s awards were particularly similar to that of the Academy Awards of 2019 because there was no host. Instead of a host, there was a commentator, comedian Thomas Lennon, who had some controversial remarks. A particularly talked about comment of Lennon’s was his jab at Felicity Houghman, who he made fun of for only receiving 14 days in prison for illegally tampering with her daughter’s college entrance exam.

Additionally, the music selection at the Emmys was extremely questionable. While Phoebe Waller-Bridge received her award for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series in the show Fleabag, Miley Cyrus’ very unrelated song, Wrecking Ball, played. Further, the Game of Thrones theme song was played prior to the announcement of a category that had nothing to do with Game of Thrones or the drama genre at all.

Shockingly, Game of Thrones was not the center of attention— instead, it was the series Fleabag that stole the show. Fleabag gained a total of four awards, making it one of the most talked-about series of the night. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the lead and creator of the show, gave a particularly humorous speech and was genuinely shocked when receiving these awards.

“It’s so wonderful and reassuring to know that a dirty, pervy, angry and messed-up woman can make it to the Emmys,” said Waller-Bridge when she was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.Ultimately, the Emmy Award Ceremony was quite unexpected and shocked a lot of people, especially those expecting Game of Thrones to win every award. From not having an official host to celebrating women and minorities, the ceremony made new strides for equality and art that are hopefully continuously reflected in future ceremonies.