The Emmy Awards held last night were described as merely “fine,” with only a couple of notable incidents. One of the standout moments occurred during John Oliver’s acceptance speech, when the familiar wrap-it-up music played just as he began to talk about his deceased dog.
In a recent interview with Variety, the producers of the 76th Emmy Awards expressed their surprise at the situation. Timing the music appropriately during speeches is a challenging task, and the production team at Jesse Collins Entertainment believed they were in the clear as Oliver began sharing memories of his pet while accepting the award for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series for his show, Last Week Tonight.
Oliver started his speech by reflecting on his beloved dog, saying, “We had the most fantastic dog. She was at my wedding. She got us through a pandemic. She was with us through two pregnancies.” Just as he mentioned the dog, the music began to play. He humorously remarked, “Perfect choice of music! We had to say goodbye to her,” and jokingly directed a “Fuck you!” at the music directors. After the music stopped, he continued to dedicate the award to all dogs and concluded his speech with a lighthearted request for the production team to “Play me off now!”
Dionne Harmon, president of Jesse Collins Entertainment, shared her reaction, stating, “He was talking about the dog, and we’re like… he’s dead? No! Take the music back, give the dead dog some respect!”
Executive producer Jesse Collins vividly recalled realizing the gravity of the moment, saying, “I was like, ‘Oh, take the music down!’ You’re just trying to make a call. And then John Oliver’s dog pops up!” Collins praised Oliver’s composure during the incident, noting that despite the hiccup, it made for “great TV.”