The outbreak of coronavirus is far from over. Flattening the curve is easier said than done. With the United States having one of the highest rising numbers in Covid-19, it makes complete sense that a mostly virtual ceremony of the Emmys was held this year.

While Jimmy Kimmel hosted the virtual ceremony from Staples Center in Los Angeles, live feeds were connected as winners made their speeches post-victory via streaming in.

A lot of records were broken. For the second year in the row, Netflix picked up more nominations than HBO while Amazon Prime also made its mark. A Canadian Show by
origin, Schitt’s Creek, picked up by Netflix broke most records, picking up seven awards; it was followed closely by HBO’s Succession. Among actors, Zendaya also broke a
record by becoming the youngest winner for Best Lead Actress in a Drama for her role in Euphoria. The incredibly underrated Mark Ruffalo also won Best Actor for his performance in I Know This Much is True. Here are some highlights from the ceremony…

A partial Friends reunion

A mini-Friends reunion happened as nominee Jennifer Aniston was joined by Courtney Cox and Lisa Kudrow who remotely streamed in together, and made Friends fans happy all over the world.

Speech of the Night: Mark Ruffalo

The night was filled with some strong acceptance speeches. Although there were quite a few, Mark Ruffalo used the opportunity of winning to give the best acceptance speech of the night. He said, “We have a big, important moment ahead of us. Are we going to be a country of division, hatred, and a country only for a certain kind of people? Or are we going to be one of love and strength and fighting for those, all of us, so all of us have the American dream?” He finished his speech by reflecting on the upcoming American elections and said, “Vote for love and compassion and kindness.”

Jimmy Kimmel honours Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Host Jimmy Kimmel didn't forget to honour the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during the ceremony. A fierce jurist, her recent death has given President Trump an opening to choose a judge in her place, which might mean a revision of Roe v. Wade that made abortions legal in America. A documentary on RBG is now available on Netflix.

Little Fires Everywhere:  Kerry Washington  and Reese Witherspoon

Both Emmy winners in the recent past, Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon, participated in Emmys in laidback fashion. Both actresses and executive producers are co-starring in the series, Little Fires Everywhere and were celebrating the year 2021.

Regina King and saving grace

A ceremony like this – virtual in design – is always more complex to pull off and a lot could have gone wrong but it didn’t. The actors, nominees and presenters across the board tuned in virtually and made what could’ve been a disaster show into an unusually intimate ceremony. Seen here is actress Regina King in a Breonna Taylor shirt as she wins an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for Watchmen.