2025 Emmy Awards highlights: Top moments from the ceremony

HBO’s “The Pitt,” a tense hospital drama, and Apple TV+’s “The Studio,” a madcap satire of modern Hollywood, nabbed top honors at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night.

HBO’s “The Pitt,” a tense hospital drama, and Apple TV+’s “The Studio,” a madcap satire of modern Hollywood, nabbed top honors at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night. The three-hour ceremony was hosted by first-time emcee Nate Bargatze, a low-key stand-up comedian who largely steered away from political headlines.

Here’s what you need to know about how the night unfolded:

“Saturday Night Live” cast members James Austin Johnson, Mikey Day and Bowen Yang joined Bargatze for a cold open skewering the modern television landscape. Bargatze, dressed in a white lab coat, portrayed Philo T. Farnsworth, the inventor who developed the first all-electronic television system. The setting was historical, but the gags were contemporary.

Emmys host Nate Bargatze and Bowen Yang in the opening sketch at the Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday.Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesIn the sketch, Bargatze’s Farnsworth envisioned a new televisual medium called streaming — “a new way for these companies to lose money.” When asked by an underling whether there will one day be a network for white people, Farnsworth said yes: CBS. (The network initialism actually stands for Columbia Broadcasting System.)

Stephen Colbert took the stage to introduce the nominees for best actor in a comedy series. But first, he addressed the elephant in the room: CBS’ decision to take his late-night show off the air. “While I have your attention, is anyone hiring? Because I’ve got 200 very well-qualified candidates here with me tonight, who will be available in June,” Colbert said.