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8 best moments and memes from the 2022 Emmys

8 best moments and memes from the 2022 Emmys
Jennifer Coolidge reveals she took a 'lavender bath' to prepare for the ...
NBC

It was one of the biggest nights for TV, as the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards took place in Los Angeles, California, hosted by Kenan Thompson - and there was certainly an evening full of entertainment.

With our favourite stars on the small screen from shows such as Succession, Ted Lasso, The White Lotus, Stranger Things, Squid Game and Euphoria, the award show was full of memorable moments.

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Some of the biggest winners this year include Succession for Outstanding Drama Series, Ted Lasso for Outstanding Comedy Series, and The White Lotus, for Outstanding Limited series and Lee Jung-jae became the first Asian star to win the Emmy award for Best Male Actor in a Drama for his role in Squid Game - see the full list of winners here.

Though it wouldn't be an award show without the internet reacting to every moment and delivering some entertaining commentary and memes.

Here are some of the best moments and memes from the 2022 Emmy Awards:

Kenan Thompson's Leonardo DiCaprio joke

Host of the night, Kenan Thompson surprised the audience with an age gap joke about Leonardo DiCaprio and Zendaya during the ceremony when he wished the Euphoria star a happy birthday.

"Zendaya just turned 26, happy birthday. 26 is a weird age in Hollywood. Young enough to play a high school student, but too old to date Leonardo DiCaprio," Thompson said, as the camera panned to Zendaya who covered her face to hide her reaction.

Proving the DiCaprio age joke never gets old.


Zendaya wins second Emmy

Euphoria star Zendaya took home the lead actress in a drama series award for her portrayal of Rue and in her acceptance speech thanked her character and creator Sam Levinson.

“My greatest wish for Euphoria was that it could help heal people, and I wanna say thank you to everyone who has shared their story with me," she during her speech.

Zendaya also became the first Black woman to win the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama Series twice and is also the youngest two-time winner of any Emmy in history.

"Anyone who has loved a Rue or feels like they are a Rue, I'm so grateful to you and your stories and I carry them with me and I carry them with her.”

And fans of the actor were delighted at her success:



Viewers also loved Sandra Oh's reaction to Zendaya's win:


Jennifer Coolidge's hilarious acceptance speech (and dance)

Jennifer Coolidge won her first Emmy for her performance in HBO’s The White Lotus but had the internet talking about her acceptance speech for the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie award.

"I just want to say I took a lavender bath tonight right before the show and it made me swell up inside my dress and I’m having a hard time speaking,” Coolidge said. “This is so thrilling because … I didn’t think it was going to happen.”

As she fumbled with her acceptance speech letter Coolidge added: "Hold on, wait, wait, I love you," as she thanked her producers and executives and agents.

But her play-off music then attempted to drown out her speech, but Coolidge was having none of it as she declared: "Hold on. No! This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing!"

Then suddenly the hilarious apt songHit the Road Jack by Ray Charles began to play as Coolidge began to awkwardly dance to the music, causing a massive cheer from the audience.

Fans of the actor thoroughly enjoyed Coolidge's entertaining speech and moves.




Lizzo's inspiring and emotional acceptance speech

Grammy Award-winning singer Lizzo now has an Emmy to add to her award collection after she was awarded the Outstanding Competition Prize for her Prime Video series Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.

I’m very emotional, “The trophy is nice, but my emotion is for these people who are on the stage with me,” she continued.

“The stories that they shared, they’re not that unique. They just don’t get told. Let’s just tell more stories.” “When I was a little girl, all I wanted to see was me in the media,” she continued.

“Someone fat like me. Black like me. Beautiful like me.” “If I could go back and tell little Lizzo something, I would be like, ‘You’re going to see that person, but b*tch, it’s going to have to be you,” she shouted which the audience applauded.

“Make some noise for my big girls!" she exclaimed, and afterwards posted a tearful selfie with her award to Twitter where she wrote: "This is for the BIG GRRRLS."

With multiple Grammy's and now an Emmy Award winner, people have pointed out that Lizzo is halfway to EGOT (acronym for the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards).


Jimmy Kimmel playing dead during Quinta Brunson's acceptance speech

Viewers shared their anger at Jimmy Kimmel after the late-night TV host pretended to be a dead body, dragged onstage by actor Will Arnett, but kept the gag up when the winner of Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series was announced.

So when Qunita Brunson won and began her acceptance speech, she was accompanied by Kimmel who remained lying on the floor next to her.


After her speech, Brunson was asked in the press room how she felt about Kimmel's commitment to the skit: "I know Jimmy Kimmel, and I don't know, I felt like the bit didn't bother me that much. I don't know what the internet thinks," PEOPLE reported.

She continued: "Jimmy gave me my first big late-night spot. He was one of the first people to see Abbott. He Instagram messaged that he saw this comedy and thought it was one of the greatest comedies of all time. He was so excited it was going to be on ABC.

So I think in that moment, I was just really happy that it was Jimmy up there. I kind of just consider him one of the comedy godfathers. I'm a huge fan of Will Arnett, so I was wrapped up in the moment.

"Tomorrow, maybe I’ll be mad at him, Brunson added. "I'm going to be on his show on Wednesday, so I might punch him in the face. I don't know what's going to happen."

Sheryl Lee Ralph sang her acceptance speech

As award acceptance speeches go, Sheryl Lee Ralph stunned the audience and viewers when she took the time to sing when she won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Abbott Elementary.

"I am an endangered species, but I sing no victim song," she sang, as names of those she wished to thank flashed across the screen. "I am a woman, I am an artist, and I know where my voice belongs."

Ralph also made history as the second Black winner for supporting actress in a comedy, following Jackée Harry’s win for “227” in 1987.

People took to Twitter to praise Ralph for her acapella performance.



Matthew Macfayden won Emmy for Best Supporting Actor

Twitter expressed their love for Matthew Macfayden after he won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role as the hilariously spineless and ambitious Tom Wambsgans in the HBO series Succession.

In his acceptance speech, the British actor said: "I'm deeply flattered and thrilled to bits. It's a pleasure and a privilege to play this bonkers gift of a role."

Macfayden beat out his fellow Succession co-stars Kieran Culkin and Nicholas Braun for the award which someone pointed out is very Tom Wambsgans of him.

While there were some perfect moments of Macfayden as Tom Wambsgans from the show to serve as the perfect reaction memes.


Succession creator makes a royal jab at King Charles III

Succession creator Jesse Armstrong made a dig at King Charles III during his acceptance speech after the HBO series won the award for Outstanding Drama Series.

The native Brit took the opportunity to speak about the historic events back home, reflecting that it was a "Big week for successions."

He then added: "Evidently a little more voting involved in our winning than Prince Charles."

"Keep it royalist," Brian Cox chimed in, as the Scottish actor who plays Logan Roy attempted to take the sting out of the comment.

"I’m not saying we’re more legitimate in our position. We’ll leave that to other people," Armstrong added.

See a list of all the 2022 Emmy winners here.

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