The Emmy Awards held last night were, well, decent overall. While the event lacked significant drama, a couple of memorable moments stood out, particularly when John Oliver’s acceptance speech was abruptly interrupted by the wrap-it-up music just as he began addressing his deceased dog.
In a recent interview with Variety, producers of the 76th Emmy Awards expressed their surprise at the situation. Finding the right time to cut off a speech is a difficult task, and the production team at Jesse Collins Entertainment thought they were safe while Oliver accepted the trophy for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series for Last Week Tonight.
Oliver began, “We had the most fantastic dog. She was at my wedding. She got us through a pandemic. She was with us through two pregnancies,” before the infamous music began to play. He humorously remarked, “Perfect choice of music! We had to say goodbye to her.”
He then jokingly directed a “Fuck you!” at the music directors. Once the music stopped, he dedicated the award to all dogs and concluded his speech by telling the Emmy production team, “Play me off now!”
Dionne Harmon, president of Jesse Collins Entertainment, shared her thoughts during the incident, saying, “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 recalled the moment he realized what was happening: “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 acknowledged that Oliver managed the situation well, recognizing the outcome: “It was great TV!”