Jason Sudeikis, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series winnerJean Smart, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series winnerJosh O'Connor, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series winnerOlivia Colman, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series winnerEwan McGregor, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie winnerKate Winslet, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie winnerBrett Goldstein, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series winnerHannah Waddingham, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series winnerTobias Menzies, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series winnerGillian Anderson, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series winnerEvan Peters, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie winnerJulianne Nicholson, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie winner
The winners were announced on September 19, following the Creative Arts Emmys on September 11 and 12.[9]The Crown andThe Queen's Gambit led all series with 11 wins each.[10] The two shows gave Netflix its first series wins after 30 previous nominations for comedy, drama, and limited series dating back to2013.[11]The Crown won all seven drama categories at the main ceremony, becoming the first show to sweep the major drama categories.[12] It also became just the third show to complete a sweep of the major categories, followingAngels in America as a limited series in2004 andSchitt's Creek as a comedy in2020.[13][14]The Queen's Gambit became the first web series to winOutstanding Limited or Anthology Series.[15] Netflix led all platforms with 44 wins, marking the first time it won more awards than any other network or platform[11][16][17] and tying the record set byCBS in1974 for the most wins by a network in a year.[18] The fourth season ofThe Handmaid's Tale was nominated for 21 awards but did not win any, breakingMad Men's record of 17 nomination losses in2012 for the largest "shutout" in Emmys history.[19]
For individual achievements,RuPaul became the most-awarded black individual in Emmys history with his win as a producer ofRuPaul's Drag Race for Outstanding Competition Program.[20]Michaela Coel became the first black woman to win for limited series writing forI May Destroy You.[21]Jean Smart became the second woman to win Emmys for lead, supporting, and guest acting in comedies, afterBetty White.[22] Directing wins forLucia Aniello andJessica Hobbs marked the first time women won Emmys for comedy and drama directing in the same year.[23]
While a record was set for diverse nominations and the ceremony featured many presenters of color,[24][25] white individuals won all 12 major acting trophies. This led to the hashtag #EmmysSoWhite trending on Twitter, echoing#OscarsSoWhite from the87th Academy Awards in 2015.[26][27] For comparison, the previous year saw four black winners in the acting categories.[28] In total, only three individuals of color spoke when accepting awards – RuPaul, Coel, andDebbie Allen – though there were other winners of color on producing and writing teams.[24] The Creative Arts Emmys were more diverse, with three of the four guest acting winners being black and many people of color winning in technical categories, though those awards are considered less notable.[29][30]
Winners are listed first, highlighted inboldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).[31][32][a] For simplicity, producers who received nominations for program awards, as well as nominated writers forOutstanding Writing for a Variety Series, have been omitted.
The Governors Award was presented toDebbie Allen "in recognition of her numerous contributions to the television medium through multiple creative forms and her philanthropic endeavors around the world".[35][36]
For the purposes of the lists below, "major" constitutes the categories listed above (program, acting, directing, and writing), while "total" includes the categories presented at theCreative Arts Emmy Awards.
In an interview withVariety, Hudlin and Stewart explained that they aimed to make the ceremony a "celebration" after the events of the previous year. They also sought to create a "party environment" for the audience and viewers at home.[75] Cedric voiced similar thoughts, remarking that "television got us through this last year" and seeking to honor that.[76] The usualtheater seating was not included; instead, nominees were seated at tables with food and drink available.[77] According to Hudlin, he and Stewart had wanted to try such a setup for a while, and the ceremony offered a great opportunity for them to try it.[75] For nominees who could not attend in person for logistical reasons or due to health concerns, remote sites were set up; for instance, the cast and crew members ofThe Crown attended together from a remote site in London.[78]
Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the previous ceremony had been held as a virtual event with no in-person festivities.Jimmy Kimmel hosted the ceremony fromStaples Center with no audience, while all nominees appeared remotely via video link.[79][80] Initially, the Television Academy planned to return to a modified in-person ceremony at theMicrosoft Theater. However, due to concerns overSARS-CoV-2 Delta variant and increasing infections in California, it was announced on August 10 that the Primetime Emmy Awards and Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards would be relocated to anotherL.A. Live venue, the indoor-outdoor Event Deck, and have a further reduction in attendance.[81] The Event Deck had been used before as the site for the ceremony's Governors Ball afterparty,[82] which was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.[83] Attendees were asked to wearmasks when not on camera and during commercial breaks.[78]
When announcing the move to the Event Deck, the Television Academy explained that the change would allow the ceremony to "utilize an indoor/outdoor setting and more socially-distanced audience seating".[84] However, presenterSeth Rogen criticized the tent-based setup during the ceremony, remarking, "What are we doing? They said this was outdoors. It is not. They lied to us".[85] The comments, which were delivered off-script and partiallytongue-in-cheek, led to criticism of the event on social media and reportedly frustrated producers Stewart and Hudlin. Cedric and Watts explained later in the ceremony the procedures that had been put in place to ensure a safe event.[86][87] TheLos Angeles County Department of Public Health also clarified that the ceremony was fully compliant with COVID-19 regulations for film, television, and music productions, which includedproof of vaccination and a negativeCOVID-19 test within 48 hours of the event.[88]
In December 2020, the Television Academy announced several rule changes for the 2021 ceremony, including merging theOutstanding Variety Talk Series andOutstanding Variety Sketch Series categories after previously splitting them in2015.[89] However, this decision was reversed in February 2021.[90] Another rule change clarified thatanthology series would compete in the limited series categories, which were renamed accordingly.[89] In June, it was announced that acting nominees and winners could request that the gender-neutral term "performer" be used instead of "actor" or "actress" on their certificates and statuettes.[91]
The broadcast generally received mixed to negative reviews.[95][96] Mike Hale ofThe New York Times remarked that the ceremony had "a certain level of spirit in the room — you got the feeling people were having a good time... But it was an insular jollity, one that didn't really come through the screen". He also criticized the scripted portions and noted that the best parts were "more off the cuff".[97]IndieWire's Ben Travers noted that the awards were "a traditional telecast" befitting CBS's light, safe programming and found that it lacked a "special sauce ... to distinguish it for anythinggood". He praised the stars of the evening but found the comedy and presentation poor, and he found the lack of diversity among the winners disappointing.[98]Entertainment Weekly's Kristen Baldwin found that most of the jokes "didn't just fall flat — they cratered",[99] while Rob Sheffield fromRolling Stone called it "one long coffin flop" that "decided to remind everyone what sucked about [award ceremonies]".[100]
Some critics reviewed the broadcast more positively. Sonia Saraiya ofVanity Fair remarked that she generally enjoyed the ceremony and called it "a suave, sleek event", though she added that the lack of diversity among winners despite the diverse nominees and attendees "suggested that the Television Academy wants to be something different, but is still figuring out how".[101] Robert Lloyd from theLos Angeles Times found the ceremony "fun, if nerve-racking" given the apparent disregard for COVID-19 protocols, singling out the pacing and energy for praise; he also applauded the diversity of the presenters.[102] Several moments also received praise even from negative reviews, such asMichaela Coel's acceptance speech andConan O'Brien "injecting a little anarchy into the proceedings" from the audience.[99][100]
The ceremony was viewed by 7.83 million people in the United States, representing a 23% increase over the previous year's ceremony, which was the least-viewed in Emmys history at the time. It also achieved a 1.81rating among adults ages 18–49, up from the previous year's 1.3 rating. The ratings figures only include those who watched the telecast on CBS, and not those who streamed it on Paramount+.[103] Viewership numbers were the best since the70th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2018,[104] and the ceremony snapped a six-year streak of record-low viewership.[1] Several publications remarked that the improved ratings were likely due to strongNFL broadcasts leading into the program.[105][106]
In addition to the In Memoriam segment, several individuals were recognized elsewhere during the ceremony. Cedric the Entertainer opened the ceremony with a tribute to Markie with a television-themed version of the song "Just a Friend".[109] Michael K. Williams, who had been considered a frontrunner forOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, was recognized by presenterKerry Washington when she presented the category.[110][111]Jean Smart recognized her husband Gilliland during her acceptance speech, whileLorne Michaels andJohn Oliver paid tribute to Macdonald during their speeches.[107]
^The outlets listed for each program are the U.S. broadcasters or streaming services identified in the nominations, which for some international productions are different than the broadcaster(s) that originallycommissioned the program.
^Williams died between the end of Emmy voting and the ceremony.[33][34]
^abcdParent companyWarnerMedia combined HBO and HBO Max as a single platform for the purposes of counting nominations.[11]
^France, Lisa Respers (September 20, 2021)."#EmmysSoWhite ... again".CNN.Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. RetrievedSeptember 21, 2021.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
