Skip to main contentSkip to footer
emmy cover

10 major moments you might have missed at Emmy Awards 2021

From emotional speeches to onstage gaffes 

Emmy Griffiths
TV & Film Editor
September 20, 2021
Share this:

After a virtual awards ceremony in 2020, the glitz and glamour of the Emmy Awards were returned to its full glory on Sunday night’s show - though of course scaled down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Although it was slightly smaller than usual, there were still some hilarious, emotional and thought-provoking moments throughout television’s most important night. Find out what went down here… 

MORE: Kaley Cuoco wows fans in eye-catching neon dress as she makes Emmys 2021 appearance

Schitt’s Creek cast suffers ‘technical glitch’ 

While the cast of Schitt’s Creek received a standing ovation while presenting an award, their very convincing ‘technical glitch’ gaffe was the most memorable part of the night! The cast  - Dan and Eugene Levy, Annie Murphy and Catherine O’Hara - appeared on stage only to point out that the teleprompter wasn’t working, with Eugene eventually admitting that he had tried to ‘have a word’ with the writer’s room about their television appearance. 

schitt creek cast

Ted Lasso's cast celebrate win with 'Roy Kent' chant

Ted Lasso's cast celebrated their very successful night backstage by doing the 'Roy Kent' football chant from the show as the lead, Jason Sudeikis, took part in a Q&A backstage. Watch it here but warning - as anyone who watches the show knows, the chant contains swearing! 

WATCH: Ted Lasso cast sings the Roy Kent song

Emma Corrin wows in bonnet look 

The Crown star Emma Corrin certainly had fans talking with her red carpet look, where she wore a Miu Miu gown with a matching bonnet. Posting the look on Instagram, she wrote: “Crucible realness for EMMYS 2021.” Needless to say, her fans adored her bold fashion statement. 

MORE: The Crown sweeps Emmy awards as Olivia Colman and Gillian Anderson win

emma corrin

Michaela Cole receives standing ovation 

Michaela very deservedly won her first Emmy for Best Writing in a Limited Series for I May Destroy You, and received a standing ovation after dedicating her award to survivors of sexual abuse. She said: "Write the tale that scares you. That makes you feel uncertain. That is uncomfortable. I dare you.

MORE: The 2021 Emmys looks that left us breathless: Kaley Cuoco, Emma Corrin, and more

MORE: Seth Rogen shocks fans as he pronounces Ted Lasso star name wrong

"In a world that entices us to browse through the lives of others to help us better determine how we feel about ourselves; and to in turn feel the need to be constantly visible, for visibility these days seems to somehow equate to success, do not be afraid to disappear from it, from us, for a while, and see what comes to you in the silence. I dedicate this story to every single survivor of sexual assault, thank you.”

michaela cole

Robin Thede’s losing reaction face

Much like Joey in Friends when he lost out on the ‘Soapie’ awards, comedian and actress Robin Thede hadn’t practised her ‘gracious loser’ face when A Black Lady Sketch Show miss out on taking home an Emmy. Of course, we’re sure that she was only kidding, but her reaction was hilarious all the same!

View post on X

Scott Frank ignoring the exit music 

The Queen’s Gambit director Scott Frank has received some criticism from fans after ignoring the classic ‘exit’ music and continued with a long speech while accepting the award for Outstanding Directing For A Limited Or Anthology Series or Movie. When the music began to play, he said: “I’m almost done,” followed by: “Really?” when the music didn’t stop. Posting about the speech on Twitter, one person wrote: “Scott Frank wins Emmy for directing limited series, celebrates win with UNLIMITED SPEECH.” Another joked: “I think the speech went longer than the entire series. Play him off, keyboard cat.” 

queens gambit

The Handmaid’s Tale makes unfortunate new record

While The Handmaid’s Tale swept up with an impressive 21 nominations, the dystopian drama lost in every single category it was nominated for, breaking Mad Men’s record for the most unsuccessful Emmy season ever. Blessed be the fruit next time guys!

handmaids tale june 6

Seth Rogan mispronounces Ted Lasso winner 

In an ‘Adele Dazeem’ moment, Seth accidentally mispronounced Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham's name by calling her ‘Hannah Waddington’. "Seth Rogen, who is Hannah WaddingTON?????" tweeted one fan as another said: "He said 'Hannah Waddington for Ted Lasso’." However, Hannah didn’t mind too much as she accepted the accolade for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy! She later joked: “Oh man, I gotta call him Seth Ragin.” 

seth rogan

RuPaul makes Emmy history

RuPaul Charles made history on Sunday as he now has the most Emmys of any Black artist with 11 total statues. The host of iconic competition reality show RuPaul's Drag Race was joined by two queens - Gottmik and Symone - as well as fellow judge Michelle Visage as they accepted the award for the Outstanding Competition Program. Legendary!

rupaul 1

Kerry Washington pays tribute to Michael K Williams 

Kerry paid an emotional tribute to The Wire star, who tragically passed away in early September. Speaking about the actor, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, she said: “Michael was...a brilliantly talented actor and a generous human being who has left us far too soon. Michael, your excellence and artistry will endure. We love you.”

kerry washington

Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up to Off Camera for all the gossip and goings-on from the wonderful world of TV and film

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More TV and Film

See more