2025 Emmys Best Moments: Surprises, Snubs, Funny Bits, Reunions & More
Emmys
The 2025 Emmy Awards have come and gone, and it was a memorable and historic night for television. The Studio broke the record for the most Emmys won for a first season for a comedy series, while another freshman series, The Pitt, took home the top honor for dramas.
Comedian Nate Bargatze served as first-time host and revived a Saturday Night Live sketch that helped put him on the map. There were more historic wins and powerful speeches throughout the evening, such as Hannah Einbinder‘s acceptance speech which had people searching for what was censored.
The evening was also full of TV cast reunions from shows such as Gilmore Girls, Everybody Loves Raymond, and more. Here, we break down the highlights of the night, from the funniest bits and biggest surprises to snubs and the best reunions.
What was your favorite, or least favorite, part of the night? Let us know in the comments below. And see the full list of 2025 Emmys winners here.
Funny Bits: Nate Bargatze's SNL Cold Open
Host Nate Bargatze channeled his two funniest Saturday Night Live sketches with SNL actors Bowen Yang, Mikey Day, and James Austin Johnson. Pretending to be the creators of television, the group joked about what the medium’s future would have in store, ribbing this year’s Emmys network, CBS, in the process.
Stephen Colbert Applies for a Job
Stephen Colbert arrived on stage to a standing ovation from the audience, who were showing their support after his late-night show was canceled. Colbert brought out his old headshot and resume and jokingly applied for a job by handing his resume to Harrison Ford to give to Steven Spielberg.
Nate Bargatze's Donation Tracker
Bargatze pledged $100,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of America at the beginning of the broadcast but took away funds every time an acceptance speech ran longer than 45 seconds. Refunds came when speeches stayed under that time. The whole thing was a bit, with $350,000 still donated by the end of the night (a combination of $100,000 from CBS and $250,000 from Bargatze). This bit was divisive among viewers. Some thought that it was “diabolical” to make a joke about donating money charity, especially in a room full of rich people.
Britt Lower's Helly R. Reference
Britt Lower got meta with her acceptance speech for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series with a note on the back of her speech referencing her Severance character, Helly R. The actor wrote “let me out” on the back of her speech as if she were innie Helly R. trying to get a secret message out of the Lumon severed floor through her outie, Helena Eagan.
Jeff Probst Snuffs Lorne Michaels' Torch
Survivor recreated its Tribal Council set on stage for Jeff Probst to present the award for Variety Series. The nominees were Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and SNL. Probst read the winner, John Oliver, and presented the card like it was a Tribal vote, and then he snuffed out the torch lit for Michaels. The tribe (read: Emmy voters) has spoken.
Surprises: Katherine LaNasa Wins for The Pitt
Carrie Coon was predicted to win for The White Lotus, but The Pitt star took it home.
Tramell Tillman Wins for Severance
Tramell Tillman was considered a contender for the prize, but it was also a category full of talent from Emmy-favorite The White Lotus and Tillman’s own Severance costars. Plus, a Black man had never won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, so the odds were stacked against him. Tillman defied them anyway, and we’re delighted.
Jeff Hiller Wins for Somebody Somewhere
The lovable HBO comedy didn’t get much Emmys love throughout its run, but Jeff Hiller pulled out a surprise first-time acting win for the series, beating out big names like Harrison Ford. It’s great to see this series — and Hiller — win after delivering great work for years.
The Studio and The Pitt Wins
It’s not often that freshman series win the top honors for Comedy and Drama series — and two streaming-exclusive shows to boot — but the first seasons of The Studio and The Pitt did just that. Seth Rogen‘s Apple TV+ comedy won Outstanding Comedy Series, and the Noah Wyle-led HBO Max medical drama won Outstanding Drama Series. Rogen and Wyle both also won Lead Actor for Comedy and Drama, respectively, making them both first-time Emmy acting winners.
Powerful Moments: Hannah Einbinder's Acceptance Speech
Einbinder finally won for her work on Hacks, and she closed out her speech with a powerful declaration: “Go birds, f**k I.C.E., and free Palestine.” (She also wore a pin in support of Palestine on her dress.) Her cursing was censored out by the broadcast, as all cuss words are during these live events, but her closing remarks were memorable and garnered loud applause (and many Google searches asking what got bleeped out).
Cris Abrego Slams Trump Administration
Abrego, Chairman of the Television Academy, gave an impassioned speech about the importance of public broadcasting. He called out Congress and the Trump administration for cutting funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is resulting in the organization shutting down this year. This services provides lifesaving emergency updates to local areas nationwide. The loss off those services could have dangerous impacts on countless communities. He also said that TV helps make culture, and that we as a nation need to assure that culture “is a public good for all.”
Snubs: Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar
The Grammy-winning musicians delivered two of the most memorable live performances of the year, the Beyoncé Bowl on Netflix and the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Beyoncé‘s Cowboy Carter won Album of the Year at the Grammys, and Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” Drake diss track won five Grammys this year. But their respective specials featuring their hit songs lost to the SNL 50th anniversary special.
Reunions: Gilmore Girls
Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham reunited on a Stars Hollow-inspired set and joked about their show’s former awards competition with ER.
Annie
Kathy Bates and Alan Cumming reunited to present an award during the broadcast. The duo played evil sibling duo Miss Hannigan and Rooster in Disney’s Annie in the 1990s. In their Emmys remarks, Cumming poked fun about Bates’ loss in the Lead Actress in a Drama Series category and playfully bragged about his multiple Traitors wins this year.
Shōgun
Last year’s winners for Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress in a Drama Series, Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai, returned to the Emmys stage to present a category. Sanada is currently working on Shōgun Season 2!
Law & Order: SVU
Is it really a reunion if you’ve never left? Well, yes, because not every Law & Order alum on tonight’s Emmys stage is still on the show. Ice-T, S. Epatha Merkerson, Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, and Tony Goldwyn joined forces to present a category and poked fun at how long the show has been running — and how Hargitay’s Olivia Benson has solved more fictional crimes than real police precincts.
American Horror Story
Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters reunited as presenters and playfully pressured Ryan Murphy, who was in the audience, to get a move on on American Horror Story Season 13 so they can act together again.
Everybody Loves Raymond
Ray Romano and Brad Garrett revived their signature, Emmy-winning fictional sibling rivalry as they presented the award for Outstanding Comedy series, which went to The Studio. Garrett joked about not being famous enough to make it into the In Memoriam tribute when he dies despite being an Emmy winner. The bit delayed the winning results, but it was a very entertaining wait.
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