The 2018 Emmy Awards, hosted by Saturday Night Live‘s Colin Jost and Michael Che, had the potential to be a hilarious, memorable night. Instead, we got a forgettable ceremony with sub-par monologues and a predictable list of winners.
[Read more: Who will win and who will get robbed at the upcoming Emmy awards?]
In case the three-hour-long broadcast was enough to bore you to sleep, here’s a recap of the highlights from the evening.
Biggest Surprise: In a well-deserved change of events, underdog Bill Hader won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his work in HBO’s Barry. The category was expected to go to Donald Glover (Atlanta) or Ted Danson (The Good Place), but Hader — who looked genuinely astonished when Michael Douglas read off his name — proved to be the dark horse in the category. His win came as such a shock that awards predicting site GoldDerby reported an audible gasp heard throughout the room when his win was announced.
Monologue Shocker: The biggest shock of the night came not from what the award winners said but from what the hosts didn’t say — the lack of Trump jokes in the opening monologue was palpable. It was a pleasant surprise to sit through the three-hour broadcast without constant mentioning of Trump’s name by the Weekend Update anchors. Instead, the hosts joked about the eminent death of cable broadcasting and how racism is nonexistent in Hollywood thanks to this year’s diverse group of nominees.
Taking a knee: Most winners use their allotted thirty seconds to thank their castmates, God and loved ones. But director (and University of Maryland alum) Glenn Weiss used his time to propose to his girlfriend, Jan Svendsen. The crowd went wild as Svendsen went on stage and Weiss got down on one knee. Just imagine all the losers last night that went home without Emmys in hand and pockets full of engagement rings.
#EmmysSoWhite: Not to be outdone by the adorable proposal, the cutest human alive, Betty White, graced the Emmy stage in a legendary moment. The 96-year-old actress was honored for working more than 80 years in television. In her touching address, she mentions how she was the first lady of television and even pokes fun at Saturday Night Live creator and the 2018 Emmy’s Executive Producer, Lorne Michaels.
A-List Couple goes MIA: While the broadcast ran under the name Emmy’s, it was more or less an extension of the SNL family, which explains the many SNL presenters and cameos peppered in throughout the evening (unfortunately the only running gag was a Garth and Kat-like appearance from Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen throughout the night). One cast member noticeably missing from the night’s festivities was Pete Davidson, along with his famous fiancée, Ariana Grande. Over the weekend, pictures of the pair’s seating cards went viral — but when the house lights went down, the pair was nowhere to be found. It is assumed that the duo skipped the ceremony while Grande continues to grieve for the loss of her ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller.
All in all, the bits were rather underwhelming, but the hosts did a great job of keeping the Emmys moving and making the night all about the nominees, which is exactly how it should be.
