LOS ANGELES – HBO drama “Succession” and FX's “The Bear” were the big winners at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, taking home six top awards each, including best drama and best comedy.
But the real big winner of Fox's delayed TV awards was, and let's just say it, my love. Yes, darling.
Finally, “Succession” star Kieran Culkin literally told his wife Jazz Charton “I want more kids” from the stage as he accepted his best actor award, while “The Bear” star Ebon Moss- Bachrach and Matty Matheson shared a heartfelt kiss on stage and their children accepted comedy's highest award.
So how did those wonderfully warm feelings play out when there were no cameras rolling during the Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles? Here's what you didn't see on TV:
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Here's to the Emmy guests who show up on time. “Fleishman Is in Trouble” star Claire Danes was one of the first stars to enter the audience to relax and sit down and sip a drink in peace. However, the “Only Murders in the Building” crew consisting of Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez also arrived surprisingly early at the live show.
“Hey guys,” Gomez chirped to her famous comedian colleagues as she approached their second-row seats with boyfriend Benny Blanco. After Martin and Short made way for the new couple to take their star-studded seats, record producer Blanco chatted with other guests while standing, often with his arm around the seated Gomez.
In the nearby Emmys outdoor courtyard, “Wednesday” star Jenna Ortega had time to patiently wait her turn to take a photo in front of a life-size, winged Emmy Award statuette. Ortega gave her water bottle to a friend and beamed at the souvenir photo as she posed with her mother, Natalie.
“The Bear” star Ayo Edebiri celebrated her Emmy win with her family
The commercial breaks during the Fox broadcast were all about three-minute celebrity conversations in the star-studded theater. In one of the best comedic promo meetings we've seen, Jimmy Kimmel sat in the aisle to chat with “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels, “Weekend Update” host Colin Jost and alum Seth Meyers.
“The Bear” star Ayo Edebiri called herself a “bad child” in her best supporting actress speech for making her parents “sit kind of far away” during the awards ceremony. But in reality, Edebiri's parents were sitting nearby in the star-studded room.
After returning to her seat during a commercial break triumphantly with her Emmy Award in hand, Edebiri posed with her proudly smiling parents, who ventured from their seats nearby. The actress also received a small standing ovation as she danced and pumped her new gold statue into the air in celebration.
The theater lobbies, where stars (just like the rest of us) paid $17.50 for premium cocktails, filled increasingly with trophy-bearing Emmy winners and guests as the evening wore on. “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert celebrated with his Emmy-nominated writing team and readily agreed to pose for selfies with ANY passerby who asked. And they asked.
Colbert agreed to selfies so automatically that the host with the most selfies would sometimes pick up the iPhone to snap the smiling photo himself. And it was a good selfie job.
What happened to that kiss on the Bear stage?
Speaking to reporters backstage, “The Bear” stars Matheson and Moss-Bachrach took a moment to reflect on the spontaneous smooches on the awards stage that were witnessed around the world.
“It was nice!” Matheson said.
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Moss-Bachrach agreed, saying: “It was a blur. I had my eyes closed. I think Matty had his eyes closed too. Time stopped. I don’t know how many years have passed.”
Matheson helpfully chimed in and said, “About 45 seconds.”
'Succession' star Culkin admits his request for a baby was 'rude' on the Emmy stage
Culkin laughed out loud as he begged his wife Charton for a third child from the stage after his Emmy triumph.
“I have been asking to have another child for some time. My wife Jazz said, 'Maybe if you win the Emmy, hahaha,'” Culkin told reporters backstage. He reminded Charton of the bet after he won the Golden Globe for best actor on January 7.
“She was nervous all week,” Culkin said. “And instead of just talking to her in private like a human being, I beat her up on stage, which was very rude.”
No hard feelings. Culkin was seen walking to the nearby Los Angeles Convention Center for the 75th Emmy Governors Gala with his new award in his right hand and his left hand walking around Charton. As the couple was mobbed by photographers outside the afterparty, they struck a kissing pose. The photo flashes were blinding.
Trevor Noah celebrates his Daily Show win with Niecy Nash
The first stop for the most serious Governors Ball attendees was the engraving station set up in the center of the lavishly decorated Los Angeles Convention Hall. Just minutes after the doors opened, “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah celebrated his first-ever Emmy win for best talk show by watching intently as his name was permanently engraved on the trophy.
“Congratulations,” fellow Emmy winner Niecy Nash shouted to Noah from across the gravure bar. The two hugged and Nash's wife Jessica Betts happily took a photo to celebrate the moment.
In an earlier conversation with reporters, Noah said the awards show made him miss “The Daily Show,” which he left in 2022 after seven years as host. Then he thought about the groundbreaking schedule.
“If I see everyone here in the same place, definitely. I would love to come back and work with every single one of these people every single day of the week,” Noah said, adding, “Seeing what my schedule looks like on Wednesday, I wouldn’t do that.”