5 Emmy Moments Not on TV (Including What Pedro Pascal Said in Bleeped Speech!)

Ryan Lattanzio
·4 min read
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The 2023 Primetime Emmys actually took place in 2024 — namely, today, January 15, 2024 — after a delay courtesy of the since-ended strikes.

TV’s best gathered for the long-long-awaited awards ceremony at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, as hosted by “Black-ish” star Anthony Anderson. Those who watched at home missed out on expletives bleeped and moments cut from the telecast, but IndieWire’s Marcus Jones was live in the room to round up what you didn’t see.

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(See the night’s full list of winners here.)

1. Host Anthony Anderson’s mom set the ground rules for the evening — keep your speech under 45 seconds, or else…

Emmys host Anthony Anderson’s mother Doris Bowman made an appearance during the first-time host’s cold open bit, but prior to the show beginning, she stepped onstage to set some ground rules for the evening ahead: “Mama Doris is here, and I have a few announcements for you. First, if you are lucky enough to win, there are two ways to get to the stage, the stairs or the ramp on either side. Take your pick. Also, you only get 45 seconds for your acceptance speech, and you can only have one person to speak. Your second person might get played off if you’re close to your 45 seconds. If you go over, you’re going to have to deal with me. By the way, this whole speech was less than 45 seconds, so now sit back, and enjoy the show.”

2. The “Drag Race” cast flew out of their seats when Jennifer Coolidge thanked the “evil gays.”

The cast of Season 15 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (later a winner for Outstanding Reality Program) loved Jennifer Coolidge’s win for “The White Lotus,” jumping out of their seats in the Peacock Theater when Coolidge thanked the “evil gays” onstage. That’s a reference to one of her character Tanya McQuoid’s quips in Season 2 of HBO’s “White Lotus,” an installment of episodes filled with evil gays, for sure, on a show watched by many a gay. This is Coolidge’s second win for “The White Lotus”; she won for the first season in 2022.

3. “Kieran Culkin beat the shit out of me.”

“The Last of Us” star Pedro Pascal, presenting the Oustanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Emmy, tried to explain why he was once again at another awards show in a sling. He appeared at last week’s Golden Globes in the accessory as well. “A lot of people have been asking about my arm. Kieran Culkin beat the shit out of me,” Pascal joked, in a bleeped-on-the-telecast moment, referencing when Culkin said, “Suck it, Pedro,” when he won over Pascal at the Globes last weekend. (Culkin later won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for “Succession.”) Pascal is currently in production on “Gladiator 2,” but hasn’t explained his shoulder injury other than to say at the Globes that he “fell” prior to that ceremony. Production on “The Last of Us” Season 2 is set to begin in February, and Pedro Pascal, up for best actor in a drama series for the show, is expected to make a full recovery prior.

4. “That was dogshit. Like really, really bad.”

“Ted Lasso” star Brett Goldstein, presenting the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Limited, Anthology Series, or Movie, recalled harsh words he’s heard from directors on set in his career past. The award in this category went to Lee Sung Jin for “Beef.” Two-time “Ted Lasso” Emmy winner Brett Goldstein was up for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the Apple TV+ show tonight, but he lost to Ebon Moss-Bachrach for Hulu’s “The Bear.”

5. Bella Ramsey and Ariana DeBose hugged it out.

“The Last of Us” star Bella Ramsey (obviously reading from pre-scripted remarks) took a dig at Ariana DeBose at the Critics Choice Awards (CCA) on January 14 while presenting the Best Song category. Presenting opposite Anthony Ramos, Ramsey labeled some of the CCA-nominated stars as “actors who think that they’re singers” (Jack Black, DeBose, and eventual “Barbie” winner Ryan Gosling, for “I’m Just Ken”). DeBose, a Broadway vet and Oscar winner for “West Side Story,” was nominated in the CCA category for “This Wish” from Disney’s animated “Wish.” Later on Sunday after the onstage joke about her qualifications, DeBose shared on social media that she didn’t find the Critics Choice Awards quip “funny.” “No I didn’t find it funny. Lol,” DeBose posted on Instagram. But Ramsey and DeBose were seen hugging it out at the Emmys, presumably leaving all blood under the bridge. DeBose was nominated at the Emmys as host of last year’s Tony Awards, though she lost to Elton John for his live Disney+ concert.

Marcus Jones contributed reporting.

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