The Funniest Moments From the 2019 Emmy Awards

No host? No problem!

Despite the lack of constant guiding force throughout the night, the 2019 Emmy Awards still delivered big laughs and viral moments throughout its telecast on Sunday night—some planned and some…well, not so much.

As the winners were announced, with one even admitting he was hungover in their acceptance speech (New life goal?), some cutaways ended up making their way around the Internet, like an Orange Is the New Black star’s interesting clapping style and a surprise shout-out to Felicity Huffman shocked the room. And, of course, various presenting duos inspired thousands of tweets from viewers wanting the pair to host the 2020 ceremony, until the next duo came out and killed with their comedy bit.

 So…did you know the Emmys had no host this year? Well, the Emmys wanted you to know that with the opening sequence, which featured black-ish star Anthony Anderson going into panic mode to “save” the show…when he wasn’t stealing statues with his mom, that is. 

“Taraji, we will not let this Empire fall!” he yelled as he ran backstage, demanding a coffee, which he rejected because “This is not Game of Thrones!” 

LOL remember when GOT left a Starbucks cup in a scene? Good times!

Comedy legend Bob Newhart got some of the biggest laughs of the night early on in the ceremony, joining Ben Stiller on stage to present Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series…and to remind the Escape at Dannemora director he’s still alive after he included Newhart with the likes of the late George Burns and Lucille Ball.

“You put me with George and Lucy and this weird wax museum of comedy,” he said. When Stiller clarified he was just listing legends, Newhart, 90, responded, “This legend is going to kick your ass.” 

And just before Stiller announced the winner of the category, Newhart got in one last jab: “I hated you by the way in Tropic Thunder.” 

The actor they presented the award to helped to keep the laughs going, with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Tony Shalhoub going onto just thank the series co-creators, writers and directors Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino many, many times. 

And this is how you sell a bit: Bless the Harts‘ co-stars Maya Rudolph and Ike Barinholtz made the unfortunate decision to get Lasik eye surgery on the same day as the Emmys. (Only available appointments!) Of course, with their eyes still healing, reading the prompter was a little challenging for them, leading to some hilarious takes on the nominees’ names, including Don Cheadle becoming “Dan Chowder” and Anthony Anderson now going by “Abraham Aluminum.” Ted Danson though? Still Ted Danson. 

Awkward! Just days after she was sentenced to 14 days in federal prison for her part in the nationwide college admissions scandal, Felicity Huffman got a shady shout-out from Thomas Lennon, the night’s announcer.

“It’s not bragging if you’re fleabaging,” he began, referencing Fleabag‘s near-sweep of the comedy categories. “The producers have asked me to give a special shoutout any of our previous lead actress winners who are watching tonight from prison. Hopefully those two weeks are gonna fly right by. Keep your chin up.”

Of course, you can’t have an awards s how without a random musical number, and this year’s Emmys came courtesy of Adam DeVine and the cast of The Masked Singer, as well as a…Meryl Streep impersonator? Yeah, it was a little odd. 

So surprised by her win for Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Jodie Comer made a hilarious revelation during her acceptance speech: The Killing Eve star’s parents weren’t in attendance because she was so sure she wouldn’t win and didn’t want to fly them all the way from Liverpool. 

“My mom and dad, who are in Liverpool, who I didn’t invite because I didn’t think this was gonna be my time,” the actress told the laughing crowd. “One, I’m sorry, two, I love you and I’m gonna bring it home. Thank you very much.”

During Fleabag’s complete domination over the comedy categories (“This is just getting ridiculous,” Phoebe Waller-Bridge said), there was one person someone from the Amazon hit’s crew almost forgot to thank. Fortunately, director Harry Bradbeer, who won a trophy earlier in the night, got his chance when the show was named Outstanding Comedy Series. 

“I forgot to thank my wife when I was up here…we’ve had a very difficult hour,” he joked. “So will you please give her a round of applause?”

(Originally published on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 6:51 p.m. PST)