by Sir Elton John completed a major awards sweep on Monday night, adding an Emmy to his Grammy, Oscar and Tony wins in a banner night for British artists at the prestigious American television awards.
Succession took home the night’s top awards for best drama, lead actor and lead actress, while Britain’s Matthew Macfadyen and writer Jesse Armstrong won best supporting actor and best writer for a drama series, respectively.
Armstrong said: “This is a show about family, but also about when partisan news coverage becomes intertwined with divisive right-wing politics, and after four seasons of satire, as I understand it, it’s a problem we’ve now fixed.
“We were very honored, we loved doing this show.”
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The hit American drama, about two brothers who feud over their father’s billion-dollar media empire, took home six awards in total.
Kieran Culkin had fatherhood on his mind when he accepted the award for best lead actor in a drama series, and used his speech to announce that he would like to have more children with his wife, Jazz Charton.
“You said maybe if I win, I love you a lot,” he said.
Culkin’s co-star Sarah Snook also used the moment to celebrate fatherhood.
“I think the biggest thank you goes to someone who won’t understand anything I’m saying right now, but I carried her with me this last season and she really was the one who carried me,” said the Australian actress who was pregnant with her daughter during the filming of the show.
She joked: “It’s very easy to act when you’re pregnant because your hormones are raging.”
The show’s creator and director, British screenwriter Jesse Armstrong, won the award for best writing for a drama series and thanked the “creative community in America.”
“I come from the United Kingdom and the show is about things that are close to the center of American life and politics and we have always been welcomed with generosity and good faith and that is part of the American tradition of being very welcoming to outsiders and it is very nice,” he said.
“And for some reason the name of Australian-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch comes to mind. I can’t speak for him, but I am very grateful for the generosity that has been shown to me working in this country; “It was a great sadness to end this show, but it was a great pleasure.”
Cooking drama The Bear made a splash with four big awards, including best comedy. Jeremy Allen White won the Emmy for lead actor in a comedy series, while his co-stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Ayo Edebiri won best supporting actor and actress in a comedy, respectively.
Moss-Bachrach shared a comical kiss on stage with chef Matty Matheson, who exclaimed, “I love restaurants.”
The Bear’s Christopher Storer won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, but was unable to attend the ceremony.
Elton John misses the ceremony due to knee surgery
Elton Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium won best live variety special at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles, but the British pop icon was unable to collect the honor after undergoing knee surgery.
Producer Ben Winston, who collected the award on his behalf, said: “I’m not Elton John, unfortunately he had a knee operation. He is absolutely fine, but I wanted to send his love and gratitude to the Television Academy for this incredible award.
“We knew this show would be historic, because it was going to be Elton’s last show in North America during his tour. We knew it would be historic because it was Disney’s first global live broadcast.
“We didn’t know it would be historic because he was going to win against a man who has created the soundtrack of our lives, has done so many good things for society and who are all our heroes. We didn’t know that would earn him an EGOT.”
The award joins Sir Elton’s five Grammy Awards, two Academy Awards for The Lion King’s Can You Feel The Love Tonight and Rocketman’s (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again, plus his Tony Award for Best Original soundtrack for the musical Aida. .
The funny women of Beef and White Lotus get serious for a moment
Netflix’s comedy-drama Beef also took home a slew of awards with stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong winning outstanding lead actor and actress in a limited series, respectively.
Wong said: “I wouldn’t be here without my wonderful parents, my mother and father, who I so wish were alive to share this moment with me. My hilarious father who loved me unconditionally and taught me the value of failure.”
Creator and director Lee Sung Jin gave three speeches and also won the award for best writing and directing for a limited series.
He said: “There is a lot of suicidal ideation in the show, it was based on things that myself and some people here have struggled with over the years, so I am very grateful and humbled by anyone who has seen the show. and they talked about their own personal struggles, it’s very heartwarming.
“I feel like we live in a world designed to keep us apart, even here some of us come home with trophies, other people don’t, and I think for some of us, when we live in a world like this, you start to think ‘There’s no way that anyone can understand you, or like you, much less any potential to be loved.
“And so the greatest joy of working at Beef has been working with the people here who I love so unconditionally.”
Elsewhere, The White Lotus star Jennifer Coolidge won best supporting actress in a drama series, using her speech to thank “all the evil gays,” a reference to the plot of the hit show.
“I had a little dream in my little town and it happened after all, so don’t give up on your dream,” he added.
An emotional Niecy Nash-Betts won best supporting actress in a limited series for Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
“Finally, I accept this award on behalf of all the black and brown women who until now have not been heard because of being policed, like Glenda Cleveland, Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor,” she said.
“As an artist, my job is to speak truth to power and honey, I will do it until the day I die. Mom, I won!”
The Emmy for best supporting actor in a limited series went to Paul Walter Hauser for Black Bird, the actor rapping his acceptance speech while dedicating the award to his wife, who “strengthens my heart and weakens my knees.”
The ceremony also saw Charlie Puth perform the Friends theme song as the Emmy Awards remembered those who died in the industry, including star Matthew Perry.
Murder, She Wrote star Dame Angela Lansbury, Euphoria’s Angus Cloud and Strictly Come Dancing’s Len Goodman were also remembered, along with Pee Wee Herman star Paul Reubens.
