Cash for speeches and big wins for The Pitt and The Studio – Emmys highlights

The 77th Primetime Emmys Awards generated another slate of viral moments, from cash awards for short speeches to history-making wins and heartfelt thank yous.

This year’s big winners of the night were HBO’s medical drama The Pitt, Apple TV+’s Hollywood satire The Studio and Netflix’s chilling psychological miniseries Adolescence.

Tramell Tillman made history as the first black man ever to win an Emmy for supporting actor in a drama series.

The Late Show host Stephen Colbert pulled off a big win after his fellow nominees in the talk show category rallied behind him following his show’s abrupt cancellation.

And awards night host Nate Bargatze implored winners to keep their long-winded speeches snappy with a running gag that saw his charity donation docked if speech-givers went over their allotted time.

Here’s a look at this year’s big moments from the ceremony at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne’s drama about a 13-year-old boy accused of murder dominated the miniseries category with wins for best series and for stars Owen Cooper and supporting actress Erin Doherty.

Cooper, 15, made Emmys history as the youngest supporting actor to win his category, and delivered a heart-warming acceptance speech after giving presenter Sydney Sweeney a shy hug.

“It means so much to me, my family, people back home. So, you know, it’s just, yeah, it just means a lot to me,” Cooper said backstage after his win.

Backstage, director Philip Barantini told reporters that they made the show in Yorkshire with the hope it would “spark a bit of a conversation in the UK” where knife crime has become a big issue, but added he could not have predicted its global success.

The Hollywood satire Seth Rogen co-created and stars in picked up several awards, completing an impressive run in its first season.

Rogen, who arrived backstage unable to carry all the trophies he had acquired, joked: it’s “getting embarrassing”.

Alas, he did not thank his fictional right-hand man Sal Saperstein in his acceptance speech.

It came down to Severance’s battle of the mind and The Pitt’s battle of the heart in the best drama series category, with HBO’s medical drama besting the top nominee.

The Pitt took home two major Emmy awards in a row, winning outstanding drama series and Noah Wyle winning best lead actor in a drama series, who called his win “a dream”.

“I want to dedicate this, on behalf of everyone, to all the healthcare workers, front-line first responders. Respect them, protect them, trust them,” show creator R Scott Gemmill said while accepting the award for best drama.

Before that, Katherine LaNasa also won the award for best supporting drama actress for her portrayal of a charge nurse, Dana, in the show.

First-time host Nate Bargatze, known for his family-friendly humour, knocked it out of the park with his idea to keep winner speeches short: He started off the night with a $100,000 (£73,630) pledge to the Boys and Girls Club of North America that would be docked $1,000 for every second someone went over.

“It’s hard. It’s tough. It’s brutal. I can’t change it. This is a game I made up and these are the rules,” he said in his opening monologue after explaining the idea.

The “game” ran throughout the telecast, with most winners ignoring it or promising to make up for how much money they lost the club. The check-ins throughout the night made for a consistent running gag.

The Studio star Seth Rogen kicked off the speeches and kept it speedy due to his shock at the win, adding another $6,000 to the roster. But his successor, The Pitt star Katherine LaNasa greatly overran, and had what Bargatze called “a very expensive wave” that lost the club several thousands of dollars.

During a mid-show check-in the total was down to -$26,000 and Bargatze quipped that he’s “actually making money”.

But with Hollywood’s love of a happy ending, Bargatze closed the show by pledging $250,000 and that network CBS would add on another $100,000.

Severance star Tramell Tillman, who plays the enigmatic Seth Milchick in Apple TV+’s mind-bending drama, became the first black man ever to win an Emmy for supporting actor in a drama series in the award show’s 77-year history.

During his speech, Tillman dedicated the award to his mother, whom he described as his first acting coach.

Speaking to reporters after the show, he also thanked the black actors nominated in the category before him, including Andre Braugher, Ossie Davis and Michael K Williams.

He said his character is a man that is aware of his race and place “in the world of Lumon” and was proud that he was able to “elevate his story” and “practice authenticity” on the show.

Colbert, whose late-night chat show The Late Show was cancelled by CBS earlier this year, offered up his vintage headshot and made a public plea for work when he took the stage as a presenter early in the telecast. He also received a standing ovation and rapturous chants of “Stephen, Stephen!”

“I want to thank CBS for giving us the privilege of being part of the late night tradition, which I hope continues long after we’re no longer doing this show,” he said when he won the prize for outstanding talk series.

Backstage, Colbert said he didn’t yet have plans for his next big move, just that he was eager to get back to work on Tuesday.

Hannah Einbinder of Hacks made one of the first major political statements of the telecast, closing her speech by condemning US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and shouting “Free Palestine”.

Elaborating on her comments about the war in Gaza backstage afterwards, Einbinder said it was her “obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the State of Israel.”

Days before the show, a group called Film Workers for Palestine proposed a boycott of what it called “complicit Israeli film institutions and companies” as more in Hollywood have spoken up against the war. Paramount – CBS’ parent company – denounced the proposal and became the first major Hollywood studio to take a stance on the conflict.

Signatories of the petition included Oscar-winner Javier Bardem, nominated for his role as Jose Menendez in Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. He wore a keffiyeh on the red carpet.

Another statement came from Hacks and Too Much actress Megan Stalter, who carried a purse on the red carpet that bore a placard with “Cease Fire!” written on it.