Jimmy Kimmel referenced the coronavirus pandemic and social unrest that has marked much of 2020 as he opened an Emmys ceremony like no other.
The live broadcast took place from a largely empty Staples Centre in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, with the vast majority of nominees off-site.
Winners were scheduled to appear via video feed. After the TV broadcast initially showed a typical star-studded crowd, Kimmel revealed there was in fact no audience, because “this isn’t a Maga rally, it’s the Emmys”.
In his opening monologue, Kimmel made references to the trauma inflicted by the pandemic, welcoming viewers to the “pandemmys”.