The 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards is the first major entertainment awards show since The Slap at the Oscars — except for the Grammys, and the MTV Video Music Awards, and the Palme d’Or ceremony at the Cannes Film Festival, and the equally important Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, and… OK, so there’s been a lot of awards shows since Will Smith slapped Chris Rock for not keeping his wife’s name out of his f*cking mouth, but the Emmys are trying the hardest to avoid another “traumatized” moment.
“If I go to a party where someone’s going to rip me to shreds, I leave the party. So, we’re making a place where you feel inclusive,” Emmys producer Ian Stewart told the Hollywood Reporter when asked whether hosts and presenters should be nice to nominees, or roast them. “We want funny as hell and everyone celebrating together. Why be snarky to these people? We want people buoyed up by the excitement, like when Hannah Waddingham won last year. Everyone was thrilled for her!”
You know what people are also thrilled by? Watching one of the world’s most famous actors slap a respected comedian on live TV over a G.I. Jane joke. Just a thought.
The Outstanding Drama Series nominees are Better Call Saul, Euphoria, Ozark, Severance, Squid Game, Stranger Things, Succession, and Yellowjackets, while Abbott Elementary, Barry, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hacks, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Only Murders in the Building, Ted Lasso, and What We Do in the Shadows are up for Outstanding Comedy Series. You can find the full list of nominees here.