The Top Five Moments From the Emmys
Hit shows like ‘The Pitt’ and ‘Adolescence’ won big at the 77th annual awards show on Sunday night.
Phylicia Rashad speaks onstage during the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images.
On Sunday evening, the 77th annual Emmy Awards took place at Los Angeles' Peacock Theater, and “television’s biggest night” did not disappoint. There were big wins for acclaimed series like Adolescence and Hacks; as well as HBO’s The Pitt, and the Seth Rogen-starring comedy, The Studio. Host Nate Bargatze opened up the show with a sketch and warned the night’s big winners that he was starting the show with a base $100,000 donation to The Boys and Girls Club of America, and will add or deduct $1,000 based on speeches that go over or under 45 seconds.
Here are our five favorite moments from the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards.
5. Tramell Tillman makes history–and thanks his mom
Severance star Tramell Tillman became the first Black man to win best supporting actor in a drama series–taking home his very first Emmy for his role on the hit show. He won over Severance co-stars Zach Cherry and John Turturro, as well as Walton Goggins, Sam Rockwell and Jason Isaacs of The White Lotus; and James Marsden of Paradise.
Tillman dedicated his win to his mother. “My first acting coach was tough, y'all, but all great mothers are,” he said in his acceptance speech, as the crowd laughed.
“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,” he said.
4. Colbert feels the love
With the announcement back in July that The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will be ending in 2026, host Stephen Colbert was showered with applause and kudos from the Emmy audience. His longtime program won the award for outstanding talk series.
“Sometimes, you only know how much you love something when you get a sense you might be losing it. ... I have never loved my country more desperately. God bless America. Stay strong and be brave, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor,” Colbert said to a raucous ovation.
3. ‘Law & Order’ reunion
Law & Order is one of television’s longest-running procedural franchises, and the beloved series had a “dream team” reunion to celebrate 35 years. Stars and former stars, Mariska Hargitay, Tony Goldwyn, Christopher Meloni, Ice-T and Epatha Merkerson, all took the stage to present the nominees for outstanding drama series; and the actors also had a little fun with long-running Law & Order: SVU lead Mariska Hargitay — who joked that this wasn’t the “Mariska Hargitay Lifetime Achievement Roast.”
2. Javier Bardem calls for peace
In a show of solidarity with the people of Palestine, Javier Bardem wore a keffiyeh, a traditional square scarf, on the Emmys red carpet in support of Gaza. He also spoke about being a part of Film Workers for Palestine, calling it a "great union." Bardem, who was up for best supporting actor in an anthology series or movie for his role in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, told Variety that he “cannot work with someone who justifies or supports the genocide.”
“Here I am today, denouncing the genocide in Gaza,” he shared. “I am talking about the IAGS, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, who study thoroughly genocide and has declared it is a genocide. That’s why we ask for a commercial and diplomatic blockade and also sanctions on Israel to stop the genocide. Free Palestine.”
1. Phylicia Rashad honors Malcolm-Jamal Warner
In the night’s most heartfelt moment, The Cosby Show star Phylicia Rashad introduced the “In Memoriam” segment by honoring her co-star and late TV son, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who drowned in Costa Rica at age 54 in July.
“He was a beloved teenager in an iconic television series who the world watched grow into manhood. And like all our friends and colleagues who transitioned this past year, Malcolm Jamal-Warner remains in our hearts,” Rashad said, as the crowd applauded.
While also honoring other fallen stars like Michelle Trachtenberg, George Wendt, Quincy Jones and John Amos, Rashad celebrated the legacies of those lost and how much they've touched all of us.
“Even though they may no longer be here with us, we can all smile knowing that their impact will remain, knowing that their lasting impressions will continue to live on through story, knowing that they touched our lives,” she said. “Whether you grew up watching them, or have just now discovered their brilliance, their light remains in the very fabric of our industry."
