Hannah Einbinder savored her outstanding supporting actress in a comedy moment and made a political statement in the process.
Jeff Hiller upstaged Harrison Ford with a win for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series.

That’s a wrap on one of the most unpredictable Emmy Awards in years.

After sweeping past ceremonies, “The Bear” and “The White Lotus” were sidelined during Sunday's telecast (Sept. 14) in favor of hot newcomers “The Studio” and “The Pitt,” which made off with best comedy and best drama statues in their first seasons.

First-time host Nate Bargatze, meanwhile, wore down viewers at home with his aggravating gimmick: pledging to donate $100,000 to Boys & Girls Club of America, but warning winners that he would dock money if their speeches ran over 45 seconds. It was amusing at first, but the countdown clock ultimately robbed winners of their joy, as many of them frantically sped through their “thank you's” rather than taking in the moment. And by the time Bargatze announced he and CBS were donating $350,000 at the end of the show, we had all tired of the joke hours ago.

In a refreshing change from past years, the Television Academy largely spread the wealth with its prizes. At just 15, "Adolescence" star Owen Cooper became the youngest male Emmy acting winner in history, while dark horse contenders Britt Lower (“Severance”) and Katherine LaNasa (“The Pitt”) triumphed in their categories over presumed front-runners Kathy Bates ("Matlock") and Carrie Coon ("The White Lotus").

Here are more of the biggest moments you missed at this year’s Emmy Awards, which aired live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles:

Stephen Colbert delivers patriotic Emmy speech after CBS cancels ‘The Late Show’

The venerable late-night host has been riding a tidal wave of support ever since CBS made the shocking decision to cancel his show in July, days after the network’s parent company Paramount settled a lawsuit with the Trump administration.

That goodwill carried into the Emmys, where Colbert was greeted with chants of “Stephen!” and a standing ovation when he presented best comedy actor to “The Studio” star Seth Rogen. He garnered even more thunderous applause later in the ceremony, when “The Late Show” won the Emmy for best talk series for the first time ever. Rather than call out CBS or Trump directly, Colbert took the high road in his speech.

“Sometimes, you only truly know how much you love something when you get a sense that you might be losing it,” he said. Ten years after launching his show, “I have never loved my country more desperately. God bless America. Stay strong, be brave, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor!"

‘Hacks’ star Hannah Einbinder gets bleeped with anti-ICE, pro-Palestine speech

After four seasons, Einbinder finally won her first supporting actress Emmy, playing the impulsive head writer to Jean Smart’s cantankerous comic on “Hacks.”

“Thank you, wow,” Einbinder began. “I was just really committed to the personal narrative that I had that it’s actually cooler to continue to lose. I was pretty committed to that. But this is cool, too. Punk rock!”

Einbinder wrapped her speech with a message for her favorite NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles. The young star, who wore a red ceasefire pin, was bleeped for her sharply political statement: “Go Birds, (expletive) ICE and free Palestine!”

Tramell Tillman thanks mom, makes history with ‘Severance’ win

Tillman made Emmys history as the first Black man in the show’s 77-year history to win best supporting actor in a drama. Tillman, who plays Milchick in the Apple TV+ series, used his speech to pay tribute to his mom, who tearfully looked on from the audience.

“My first acting coach was tough, y’all, but all great mothers are,” Tillman said wryly. “Mama, you were there for me when no one else was and no one else would show up. Your loving kindness stays with me and this is for you.”

Surprise! Jeff Hiller beats Harrison Ford for best supporting actor in a comedy

Hiller, star of HBO’s critically beloved but little-seen “Somebody Somewhere,” bested a star-studded group of actors in his category, which also included Ford (“Shrinking”), Colman Domingo (“The Four Seasons”), Bowen Yang (“Saturday Night Live”) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“The Bear”).

“I feel like I’m going to cry, because for the past 25 years I have been like, ‘World, I want to be an actor!’ And the world was like, ‘Maybe computers,’ ” Hiller joked onstage.

The comedy veteran expressed gratitude for his husband and hilariously thanked HBO for “putting a show about sweaty middle-aged people on the same network as the sexy teens of ‘Euphoria.’ ”

‘Gilmore Girls’ reunite, while Reba McEntire pays tribute to ‘The Golden Girls’

Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham, the mother-daughter duo of “Gilmore Girls,” reunited in a mockup of their characters’ abode in Stars Hollow, Connecticut. “Twenty-five years ago, a show called ‘Gilmore Girls’ premiered, and apparently took the season of fall hostage,” Graham joked. But despite the series’ autumnal dominance, they confessed it actually had a very small budget.

“If there was a birthday at ‘The Drew Carey Show’ next door, they would send us their leftover sheet cake,” Graham said. Bledel agreed: “We looked hungry.” Plus, they “saved up all year long to have one snow episode.”

Earlier in the show, McEntire was joined onstage by Little Big Town members Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman to sing the “Golden Girls” theme song. The toe-tapping performance was worth it for the hilarious reaction shots alone, with celebrities Sarah Paulson, Michael Urie, Janelle James and Colin Farrell belting and bopping along in their seats.

‘The Penguin’ star Cristin Milioti wrote speech on the back of her therapy notes

The Grammy winner and Tony nominee got one step closer to EGOT status, thanks to her Emmy-winning portrayal of the villainous Sofia Falcone in “Batman” spinoff series “The Penguin.” The actress was escorted to the stage by co-star Colin Farrell and was clearly overwhelmed by her victory.

“I wrote this on the back of notes I took in therapy the other day, so don’t look at the back,” Milioti said breathlessly. “It’s very hard to make sense of being alive right now in this world, so I’m deeply grateful for the bright spots.” Despite the DC Comics show being “very grisly, playing her felt like flying.”

Feeling anxious about Bargatze’s donation clock, Milioti raced through a list of names before throwing her head back and screaming, “I just love acting so much!”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biggest moments of the 2025 Emmy Awards, from Stephen Colbert to Hannah Einbinder

Reporting by Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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