Donald Trump Largely Ignored At Emmy Awards Despite ‘SNL’ Pedigree
For all the talk about going political at this year’s Emmy Awards, and given that it was produced by Lorne Michaels — whose Saturday Day Night Live has had the highest concentration of political satire of any TV program for the past two years running — Monday night’s trophy show wrapped with a shocking lack of Donald Trump talk.
Among the scant offerings, co-hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost of Saturday Night Live noted that the Emmy Awards launched decades ago, when “we all agreed Nazis were bad.”
And Jost, noting the Obamas now have their own production deal at Netflix, admitted “my dream is that the only thing they produce is their own version of ‘The Apprentice.’ And it gets way higher ratings.”
Full Frontal star Samantha Bee got asked what drama series is she watching these days, so that she could snark, “I’ve been watching this very shocking dystopian drama called The News.
“It’s on Season 9,000,” she added. “It’s getting darker and darker. They really need to re-cast the lead; I’d prefer Robin Wright.”
Of course Bee’s very presence could be said to be political. TV Academy members continued to show support for Bee when they gave her a nom weeks after the President of the United States tried to have her fired over an incendiary remark she made about Ivanka Trump on her TBS late-night show.
“Why aren’t they firing no-talent Samantha Bee for the horrible language used on her low-ratings show?” he had tweeted after Bee’s line, for which she and TBS apologized.
Backstage, Emmy-winning late-night host John Oliver was asked about the surprising lack of Trump jokes on this year’s show.
“We are just trying to keep America sober,” he said. “Everyone needs their wits about them right now.”
He then added, “You can’t drink the pain away.” (You can watch video here.)
Also at the Emmys ceremony, picking up her best comedy actress trophy, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Rachel Brosnahan gave an impassioned plea to women to make their voices heard by getting out and voting and taking a friend.
And, about two-thirds of the way through the program, Jost took a pause to urge viewers to donate to relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas, where death toll continues to climb. Trump has not weighed in on Florence yet, having famously insisted the official death toll of nearly 3K for Hurricane Maria was a fabrication of Democrats and the media in an effort to make him look bad.
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