Emmy Awards 2022: Award winners and highlights

Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso,” a feel-good sitcom about a stubbornly optimistic soccer coach (Jason Sudeikis) and his quirky co-workers, wins the Emmy for best comedy series. 

“Ted Lasso” is a two-time winner in this category. It also nabbed the best comedy series trophy in 2021.

Sudeikis teased there's more on the way: “We’ll see you for Season 3, at some point."

"The White Lotus" proves to be an Emmy favorite, winning the top award for outstanding limited or anthology series.

And there's going to be more "White Lotus" to watch. A second season is slated for October.

Lee Jung-jae wins the Emmy for best actor in a drama series for playing the lead character on the Netflix survival drama “Squid Game.”

He is a first-time nominee and a first-time winner in this category.

"Succession" won outstanding writing for a drama series. Jesse Armstrong picked up the Emmy for this category.

“Ted Lasso” took home another Emmy with MJ Delaney winning the award for outstanding directing for a comedy series. 

Delaney was nominated in the same category for “Ted Lasso” last year.

Jean Smart won the Emmy for best actress in a comedy series for her role as sharp-tongued stand-up comedian Deborah Vance on HBO Max’s “Hacks.”

Smart is a two-time winner in this category. She also won last year.

Hwang Dong-hyuk won outstanding directing for a drama series for "Squid Game," Netflix’s hit South Korean series.

The series follows Seong and hundreds of other contestants burdened with significant debt as they compete in disturbing and violent children’s games for millions of dollars. The competition can have only one winner, and those who lose die. 

The show could make history tonight if it wins best drama series.

John Legend helped to kick off this year’s tribute to entertainers who passed on in the In Memoriam segment. Legend sat at his piano and sang a moving rendition of "Pieces" while the voice of the late legendary actor and comedian Betty White was heard in the background.

The tribute went on to honor other comedy greats recently lost, such as Bob Saget, Gilbert Gottfried and Jak Knight, as well as actors Ray Liotta, James Caan, Sidney Poiter and Nichelle Nichols, among many others.

While some speculated online that Queen Elizabeth II, who died last week at age 96, might be added out of respect, she wasn’t included. While she wasn’t part of the entertainment industry, her life story inspired hugely successful TV shows, such as Netflix’s “The Crown.”

The tribute did include the late Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, sports commentator Vin Scully and filmmaker Jean Marc Vallée.

Zendaya won the Emmy for best actress in a drama series for her role as troubled teenager Rue Bennett on HBO’s “Euphoria.” She is a two-time winner in this category. She also nabbed the award in 2020.

"My greatest wish for 'Euphoria' was that it could help heal people," she said in her acceptance speech. "I just want to say thank you to everyone who has shared their story with me. ... Anyone who has loved a Rue or feels like they are a Rue, I’m so grateful for your stories, and I carry them with me."

Quinta Brunson won the Emmy for writing in a comedy series for her breakout hit ABC comedy show “Abbott Elementary.”

Brunson, who also stars in the series as teacher Janine Teagues, is the first Black woman to earn three nominations in the comedy categories in the same year.

Comedian Jerrod Carmichael took home the award for outstanding writing for a variety special for his HBO stand-up special “Rothaniel.” 

“I made something that was of great personal consequence to me, and this definitely contributes to the meaning of it. Thank you very much to everybody,” he said in his heartfelt acceptance speech.

The special, which was taped this year at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City, featured stories of Carmichael’s upbringing and his process to come out as gay to his friends and family.

“I’m not a sore winner, but I’m gonna go home, because I can’t top this right now,” he said before he left the stage.

Jason Sudeikis won the Emmy for best actor in a comedy series for his role as the eponymous happy-go-lucky soccer coach on Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso.”

Sudeikis is a two-time winner in this category. He also nabbed the award in 2021.

It was a 1990s flashback in the Microsoft Theater as Kenan Thompson reunited with his former Nickelodeon co-star, Kel Mitchell, during the Emmys.

Thompson and Mitchell starred together in the sit-com "Kenan & Kel," the sketch show "All That" and the film "Good Burger."

Thompson and Mitchell joked around in a bit with Kumail Nanjiani, who was serving as "honorary bartender."

"White Lotus" creator Mike White took home back-to-back Emmys — one for outstanding directing for a limited or anthology series or movie and another for outstanding writing for a limited or anthology series or movie.

In his second speech, White recalled his time on the competition show "Survivor."

“I was on 'Survivor,' and on 'Survivor' the way to stay in the game is you lower your threat level, and now I feel like I increased my threat level. ... Don’t come for me, don’t vote me off the island, please,” he joked.

“The White Lotus,” a satire of white privilege and wealth set at a luxury resort on Maui, earned rave reviews. The second installment is scheduled to debut in October.

Sarah Paulson and Shonda Rhimes presented the Governors Award to the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media for its “profound, transformational, and long-lasting contribution to the arts and/or science of television.”

Founded by the "Thelma and Louise" star, Davis' organization strives to improve representation on TV through the use of data.

“True representation is our right. As Geena has said to me, it’s just plain common sense,” Rhimes said.

Lizzo got emotional after her show, "Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls," won the Emmy for outstanding competition program.

"When I was a little girl, all I wanted to see was me in the media," she said during her acceptance speech. "Someone fat like me. Black like me. Beautiful like me. And if I could go back and tell little Lizzo something, I would be like 'you gonna see that person, but ... it’s got to be you.'”

The Amazon Prime Video show, which earned six Emmy nominations this year, follows 13 plus-size women as they compete to become Lizzo’s backup dancers at the 2021 Bonnaroo music festival. The show’s director, Nneka Onuorah, won for outstanding directing for a reality program at the 2022 Creative Arts Emmys.

"This is for the big girls," Lizzo said at the end of her speech.

Amanda Seyfried took home her first Emmy for best actress in a limited series or anthology series for her role as Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in 'The Dropout."

Seyfried was praised for her impression of Holmes' distinctive voice and awkward dancing.

In a quick speech, Seyfried thanked her family and agents and her dog, Finn.

Jennifer Coolidge scooped up an Emmy for best supporting actress in a limited or anthology series for her performance in "The White Lotus." Coolidge was a social media favorite for her portrayal of Tanya McQuoid.

As music tried to cut her speech short, Coolidge refused to leave the stage, deciding to dance along to the wrap-up music. (She eventually went back to her seat.)

The moment thrilled social media.

"JENNIFER !!!!!!!! COOLIDGE !!!!!!! YES !!!!" one person tweeted.

Bowen Yang joined emcee Kenan Thompson in poking fun at “what could possibly go wrong” during this year’s Emmys.

“Ummm … did you see the Oscars?” Yang replied before he moved on to others jokes — saying Selena Gomez, Martin Short and Steve Martin together look like “Lady Gaga taking care of two Tony Bennetts” and throwing shade at HBO Max for making “their shows disappear.”

Brett Goldstein won the Emmy for best supporting actor in a comedy series for "Ted Lasso." It was his second Emmy for his role as the hot-tempered soccer star Roy Kent in the Apple series, for which he is also a writer and a co-executive producer.

This year, Goldstein said, he would try to refrain from swearing while accepting the award. At last year's Emmys, he said, the feed got cut off in the U.K. so his family couldn't hear him give them a shoutout.

Well, the most surprising celeb appearance onstage so far has not been an actor. It's ... the creepy "Squid Game" doll.

"Good luck everybody making it up here past the doll," Jung Ho-yeon joked as she and "Squid Game" co-star Lee Jung-jae made their way to the stage to present.

"The winner turned out to be the loser," Lee Jung-jae added.

Looks like we weren't the only ones thrown off by its presence.

"WHY IS THE DOLL FROM SQUID GAME ON STAGE," a Twitter user wrote.

“Abbott Elementary” won its first award, with Sheryl Lee Ralph winning outstanding supporting actress for her role as Barbara Howard, a veteran no-nonsense kindergarten teacher and newcomer Janine’s mentor.

Ralph went on to sing “Endangered Species” by Dianne Reeves.

“To anyone who has ever had a dream and thought your dream wasn’t, wouldn’t, couldn't come true, I am here to tell you this is what believing looks like. This is what striving looks like, and don’t ever, ever give up on you,” she said before she thanked her friends, family and fans and show creator Quinta Brunson.

She got a standing ovation from the crowd after her riveting speech. It is Ralph's first Emmy nomination and win.

Host Kenan Thompson has already had a few zingers tonight, including two jabs at streaming giant Netflix's recent misfortunes.

"'Squid Game' is a show about people who take part in a competition to get them out of financial debt, which is why next season the cast will include Netflix," he joked.

And after he shared that "Abbott Elementary" donated its Emmys marketing budget to public schools, he added, "That's why I'm donating my salary from this show to Netflix."

Julia Garner seemed surprised after she won for best supporting actress in a drama series for her role as Ruth in the Netflix crime drama “Ozark.”

Garner previously won two Emmys for the role. Tonight, she's also nominated for “Inventing Anna.”

In her speech, she thanked the cast, writers and creators of the show “for writing Ruth,” adding, “She changed my life.”

"Succession" won its first Emmy of the night after Matthew Macfadyen won best supporting actor in a drama series. Including Macfayden's category, "Succession" is nominated for 25 awards tonight.

Zedd was briefly spotted on the broadcast of the Emmys doing his thing as the ceremony’s official DJ.

Some people were confused by his presence, even though it had previously been announced.

"Sorry is literal Zedd DJing the Emmys???????" a person tweeted.

"Zedd djing at the live Emmys is so random #Emmys2022" another wrote.

Host Kenan Thompson gave him a shout out in his monologue, complimenting his jacket.

Murray Bartlett took home the award for best supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie for his role as Armond in HBO’s series “The White Lotus.” This is his first Primetime Emmy win.

Kenan Thompson made his Emmy hosting debut with that random dance performance that featured remixes of theme songs from famous TV shows — from “Friends,” “Law & Order” and “Stranger Things.”

It even included a brief reunion of the “Brady Bunch” cast and ended with Thompson in a full Daenerys Targaryen custom.

Michael Keaton took home the award for best actor in a limited or anthology series or movie for his role playing Dr. Samuel Finnix. This is his first Primetime Emmy win.

Before the first award of the night was handed out, Oprah, the queen of TV (as she was described) gave the audience a little pep talk.

"There are 8 billion people on this planet but only 25 Emmys to be given out tonight," she said. "Your chances of winning: 300 million to 1. So how do you win one? It starts with a dream."

"There’s one thing you can never lose — there’s a belief in yourself," she added.

It's showtime at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards have begun.

LONDON — The death of Queen Elizabeth II has dominated international headlines and riveted television viewers around the world since Thursday.

It’s possible the Emmys producers will set aside a few minutes of airtime for a tribute to Britain’s longest-serving monarch, who also happens to be the main character on one of streaming TV’s most acclaimed dramas.

I’d be willing to bet the show will feature an appearance by actors Claire Foy and Olivia Colman, who have both won Emmys for portraying the late queen on Netflix’s “The Crown.”

Some nominees were already awarded their Emmy trophies during this month's Creative Arts Emmys.

Directors, makeup artists, music directors, guest stars and more gathered to celebrate the achievements during the two-night celebration. Video from the celebration was condensed to a two-hour recap, which aired Saturday.

Among the highlights: Actors Lee You-mi, Colman Domingo, Laurie Metcalf and Nathan Lane were best guest actor winners for their roles in "Squid Game," “Euphoria,” "Hacks" and "Only Murders in the Building," respectively.

“Adele: One Night Only” and the documentary series “The Beatles: Get Back" each won five Emmys.

Here's a full list of winners at the Creative Arts Emmys.

The roster of shows vying for top honors at this year’s Emmy Awards includes plenty of familiar names, including previous champions like “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Succession” and “Ted Lasso.”

But a crop of newcomers and first-time contenders — “Abbott Elementary,” “Only Murders in the Building,” “Severance,” “Squid Game” — could edge out those incumbents, thanks in part to a wave of cultural buzz and glowing reviews.

Read more on what to watch for here.

"Saturday Night Live" cast member Kenan Thompson will host the Emmys tonight, marking his debut as emcee of the awards show.

Don't expect any Oscars-slap type moments — not if Thompson can help it.

“It kind of just threw the entire world off guard, basically, and that won’t happen again,” Thompson told The Associated Press, referring to the Oscars incident. “Even if I am roasting [someone], it shouldn’t come across as any sort of malice.”

So where are the Emmys this year? They're still in Los Angeles, being held at the Microsoft Theater.

Why are they on a Monday? Short answer: People love football. Long answer: Because NBC is hosting the awards this year, and the network is home to "Sunday Night Football," the Emmys became a Monday night affair.

Weren't some awards handed out already? Yes, per usual the Creative Arts Emmys were held ahead of the Emmys themselves. Directors, makeup artists, music directors, guest stars and more gathered to celebrate the achievements.

How can I watch the Emmys? Tune in to NBC to catch the show live. The network will also stream the ceremony live on Peacock. Last, of course, you can follow our live blog for updates.

Is there a red carpet? Duh! It kicks off on E! at 6 p.m. ET. Unlike last year, when there was a smaller red carpet because of Covid concerns, this year's carpet will likely be back to the huge spectacle it usually is.

Read more from our colleagues at TODAY.com on other big details to know about the night here.