Celebrities
Emmys 2016: Jimmy Kimmel’s 6 best jokes ranked
It’s been four years since Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Emmy Awards. On Sunday (Sept. 18) Kimmel once again took the stage to helm the ceremony which celebrated all the best TV of the past year. Given that it’s an election year, many wondered what type of jokes the comedian would deliver. In 2012, the subject matter he presented stayed mostly safe but … in 2016, all bets are off.
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From the #OscarsSoWhite controversy to Donald Trump, we’ve collected Jimmy Kimmel’s best bits from the 68th annual Primetime Emmy Awards.
After opening the show with a humorous sketch that found Kimmel riding with the cast of “Modern Family,” James Corden and Drogon — with Khaleesi steering the way — Kimmel took the stage. Unlike 2012, the mood was drastically different this time around and our intrepid host came out swinging.
6. Keeping things ‘Transparent’
Beginning the show, Kimmel ran out into the audience and handed Jeffrey Tambor a statuette, saying, “Alright, that saved us 22 minutes … what else?” He later doubled down on the Amazon series — since it was winning awards as a comedy, but lacks some serious laughs — saying, “Transparent was born a drama but identifies itself as a comedy.”
5. Emmys so diverse
“Here in hollywood, the only thing we value more than diversity is congratulating ourselves on how much we value diversity,” Kimmel says to the crowd. Using this moment as a straight shot to the Academy Awards and the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, the bit played out amusingly enough as the diverse array of actors in the audience stood up and hugged each other.
4. Jimmy Kimmel v O.J. Simpson
Another big topic in the opening monologue was “The People v. O.J. Simpson.” Singling out Emmy winner Sarah Paulson, Kimmel states, “The winner of tonight’s plus-one contest: Sarah Paulson, who plays Marcia Clarke and who brought Marcia Clarke with her.” It was pretty great that Paulson brought Clarke to the ceremony. Kimmel wasn’t done, though. “If you want to win, sit next to Marcia Clarke,” he says, bringing huge laughs from the crowd.
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3. Blaming Burnett
As we predicted, Kimmel didn’t go easy on Donald Trump. But instead of attacking the Republican nominee directly, the host honed in on Mark Burnett. “If it wasn’t for television, would Donald Trump be running for president? He would be at home right now rubbing up against his wife Malaria,” Kimmel says, before blaming the creator of NBC boss for the possibility of a Trump presidency.
“Thanks to Mark Burnett, we don’t have to watch reality shows anymore, we’re living one,” Kimmel continues before ending the bit with the sickest of burns: “If Donald Trump gets elected and builds that wall, the first person we’re throwing over it is Mark Burnett.”
2. PB&J’s for everyone
Taking a page from Ellen Degeneres’ pizza delivery move at the 2014 Oscars, as well as Chris Rock’s Girl Scout Cookies bit from the 2015 ceremony, Kimmel enlisted his mother to make so many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the very hungry crowd. To really bring home the nostalgia of such a packed lunch, the kids from “Stranger Things” rode out on bicycles in their TV personas to hand out the treats to the many celebs.
1. Matt Damon’s redemption
Wherever Jimmy Kimmel goes, Matt Damon is sure to follow. This time around, though, Damon got the upper hand on the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” host. Keeping their on-screen feud alive, Damon interrupted Kimmel and proceeded to cheer on John Oliver’s win while openly enjoying Jimmy’s mom’s apples.
Well played, Matt Damon. Well played.