What You Didn't See On TV At The 2018 Emmy Awards
A lot of inspiring things went down at the 2018 Emmy Awards. Henry Winkler finally won the first Emmy of his 50-year career and delivered a heartwarming speech that he prepared 43 years ago. Betty White, who was being recognized for having the longest acting career in history, delivered a hilarious (but teary-eyed) address. Sandra Oh became the first Asian actor nominated in her category, and Amazon newcomer The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, HBO's Game of Thrones, and FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace took home top honors.
There were also more than a few well-placed political jabs (of course,) which had Twitter divided. The New York Times dragged the awards show for its fleeting #MeToo jokes about Ronan Farrow and Leslie Moonves. Even co-host Michael Che couldn't help but point out the overwhelming whiteness and lack of gender parity in the first six awards. This came after Kenan Thompson touted the show as the most diverse Emmys ever, before launching into a comedic, diversity-themed musical number.
Despite the fact that some critics felt the show's message fell flat, the 2018 Emmys seemed unusually fun and inspiring behind-the-scenes (aside from anything surrounding Roseanne Barr's ex-husband.) From Ricky Martin dancing down the aisles to Sarah Michelle Gellar's watch party, here's what you didn't see on TV.
Ricky Martin shook his bon-bon down the aisles
Ricky Martin was livin' la vida loca at the 70th Annual Emmy Awards. The star received his first nomination for his emotional portrayal of Antonio D'Amico in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. The FX series was up for a whopping 18 awards, making it the most-nominated limited series of 2018. Needless to say, the entire cast had a lot to be happy about.
While American Crime Story took home the award for outstanding limited series, you probably wouldn't have noticed that Martin didn't have a big personal win because even though singer lost his bid for best supporting actor in a limited series, he shook his bon-bon just the same. According to E!, the former Menudo star started dancing down the aisles when the cameras had their backs turned. Alas, that means we probably won't get to witness Martin's hip-shaking in all its glory, but apparently, it was so great that everyone around him was laughing along and totally loving it.
Jan Svendsen almost got an In-N-Out Burger proposal
In a shocking turn of events, it wasn't Ryan Gosling that reduced our hearts to a puddle of mush (hey girl, he wasn't even there.) It was director Glenn Weiss, who took home an Emmy for his work on the 2018 Oscars. The star used his emotional acceptance speech to propose to his girlfriend, Jan Svendsen, with the now-iconic line: "You wonder why I don't call you my girlfriend? It's because I want to call you my wife."
Svendsen, who was visibly shocked when she gave her teary-eyed yes, later admitted that she "had no suspicions whatsoever ... I'm still processing this." But, wait, what was going to happen if Weiss didn't win?
In a backstage Q&A, the director admitted he'd probably have gotten down on one knee at "the ball or In-N-Out Burger," a staple in the couple's post-awards show routine. For those wondering about carat size, Weiss opted to forgo a traditional engagement ring. "It's not a diamond ring. It's my mom's wedding ring, which to me is more valuable than the Hope Diamond," he said.
Here's hoping they gave out Kleenex in those swanky Emmy swag bags
Bill Hader really, really, really didn't think he'd win
By all accounts, HBO's dark comedy Barry was a wild card, so maybe we shouldn't be surprised that Bill Hader didn't think he was actually going to win best actor in a comedy series. He said as much in his humble acceptance speech, which recalled his modest Second City roots and name-dropped Henry Winkler, who had just won his first Emmy after a decades-long career. What we didn't know was that Hader was really telling the truth. The executive producer and star expected to lose with such conviction that he totally went off-the-cuff.
"I planned nothing. I was literally, I was waiting for, you know, Ted Danson or Donald Glover...." he said during a backstage interview. "When he said my name, I legit don't know what I said up there, guys, so I might have said something crazy. I don't know. I've just had to ask my publicist what I said up there."
Chrissy Teigen was basically falling apart (but looking fab)
Chrissy Teigen looked fabulous at the 2018 Emmy Awards. It's just a shame she was basically falling apart. A day before walking the awards, the model bruised her leg after falling down the stairs, and things got worse from there.
According to Entertainment Tonight, the mom-of-two had to skip out on interviews on the gold carpet because she lost her voice. Instead, she blew kisses at people who correctly pronounced her last name, which most of us have apparently been mispronouncing all along. Leave it to the model to wait years to tell us it's Tie-gan, not Tee-gen.
Despite her adorable clumsiness and unfortunate vocal issues, there was virtually nothing that was going to stop Teigen from supporting husband John Legend. According to TMZ, the singer achieved EGOT status after adding an Emmy to his Grammy, Oscar, and Golden Globe. He is the first African American man to achieve the honor.
Sarah Michelle Gellar: all dressed up with nowhere to go
Sarah Michelle Gellar didn't make an appearance at the 70th Annual Emmys — but that doesn't mean she didn't dress for the occasion. In an Instagram post, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer star admitted she was watching the awards show from the comfort of her couch. While most of us prefer wearing pajamas and taking a pint of Ben & Jerry's as our red carpet date, Gellar took her Emmy off the shelf and posed in her 19-year-old blue gown. The star may have slayed vampires on TV, but in real life, she's apparently ageless like Angel (or, in the very least, has has a great workout routine).
Aside from the dress, the 1999 awards show actually wasn't all that special for the actress. She didn't actually win an Emmy, and Buffy continued its trend of habitually being snubbed. The Emmy pictured in her post likely came from 1995, when she won the coveted award for her portrayal of Kendall Hart in All My Children. Final thoughts: the girl totally pulls off UGGs and an evening gown.
Justin Timberlake was about to get really obnoxious
Jessica Biel's emotional performance in The Sinner led her to an Emmy nom, but she lost to Regina King, who starred in Netflix's Seven Seconds. According to People, King made history as the first person of color to win at a 2018 awards show, which kind of makes Kenan Thompson's "We Solved It" medley feel a little less funny. Either way, it's probably for the best that Biel didn't win because hubby Justin Timberlake was in some kind of mood.
The former 'NSync boy-bander admitted that he had something outrageous planned for his doting wife if she won. "I might do something obnoxious." he told Giuliana Rancic on the gold carpet (via People).Biel quipped, "I'd hope for nothing less than something really inappropriate."
Sadly, we were spared the second-hand embarrassment, though we still have Man of the Woods to look back on fondly. With so many of his SNL buddies at the show, we were kind of hoping he'd wrap up something special for her in a box.
Padma Lakshmi dared to wear the same thing twice
We all saw Padma Lakshmi's stunning evening gown on the red carpet, and then we saw it again. That's right: Lakshmi may be a style icon, but she's an outfit repeater. Gasp! Before walking the gold carpet at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards, the Top Chef star plucked the plunging red J. Mendel gown right from her own closet.
Lakshmi first donned the high-slit dress in October 2017 at the Vogue India Women of the Year Awards in Mumbai. Whether she's channeling Bollywood or Hollywood, the star was undeniably taking a stand with her elegant look. "I think in this day and age we should stop sending the message to young women and girls that we all have these endless closets of clothes we never wear more than once, especially on a red carpet," she told People.
Lakshmi wasn't the only one making a statement through her style. Black-ish actress Jenifer Lewis showed up wearing a casual Nike sweatshirt in support of the brand's controversial Colin Kaepernick campaign.
Tom Arnold and Mark Burnett brawled at a pre-Emmy party
The day before celebs started lining up on the gold carpet, actor Tom Arnold got into a scary scuffle with famed producer Mark Burnett at a pre-Emmy party. The only question is: who started it?
In a Twitter post, Arnold claimed the producer "went apes***t and choked" him before running away in a torn shirt, but Burnett's wife, Roma Downey, respectfully disagreed. She claimed Arnold tried to "ambush" her and her husband, and she posted a photo of the bruise she sustained during the altercation. It was apparently such a spectacle that How I Met Your Mother star Alyson Hannigan, who happened to also be at the party, tweeted about how Survivor host Jeff Probst tried to break it up (as is the true calling of a reality show host.)
Arnold and Burnett have had a less than stellar relationship since before the altercation took place. According to Entertainment Weekly, Roseanne Barr's ex has been on a mission to get Burnett to hand over allegedly incriminating tapes of Donald Trump's time on The Apprentice. It almost seems like Arnold's Vice series, The Hunt for the Trump Tapes, hinges on the drama that happens while procuring said tapes, and the whole thing may have actually been premeditated. The comedian previously told Salon he planned to confront Burnett at the Emmys, and "they're really worried about me being anywhere near him." Wonder why?