Famed Jewish actors Eugene Levy and Dan Levy hosted the 76th Emmy Awards Sunday night in Los Angeles, striking a comedic tone that hit the mark and was never awkward.
The real-life father-son duo starred as father and son Johnny and David Rose on the hit show “Schitt’s Creek” that ran until 2020. The elder Levy won an Emmy for his portrayal of the patriarch who lost all his family’s money, forcing them to move to the rural town he owns.
“If it goes well tonight, my name is pronounced Levy (Leh-vee) not Levy (Lee-vee)” Dan Levy joked.
Here are all the Jewish moments that happened at the 2024 Emmy Awards:
Ebon Moss-Bachrach wins big at 2024 Emmys
In a nod to some controversy of smash sensation “The Bear” being in the comedy category rather than drama, Eugene Levy quipped: “I love the show… I know some of you might be expecting us to make a joke about whether ‘The Bear’ is really a comedy. But in the true spirit of ‘The Bear,’ we will not be making any jokes.”
Jewish actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach, 47, won Best Supporting Actor in A Comedy Series for the second year in a row for his portrayal of Richie Jeremovich on the FX show “The Bear.”
Throughout the series, Richie tries to help make sure that the show’s lead, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), can run his restaurant smoothly. Richie has some hated moments of frustration, is divorced, loves his daughter, and is tough on the outside but sweet on the inside.
The show is more of a drama than a comedy, but Moss-Bachrach has most of the comedic moments.
The actor took the stage and thanked his co-stars as well as his parents, saying: “They’re taking such nice care of my cat.” He also said he loved his wife, Yelena and mentioned “my sweet daughters Miri and Sasha.
Moss-Bachrach previously appeared in HBO’s “Girls” as Desi Halperin and David Lieberman in Netflix’s “The Punisher.”
Alex Edelman’s Jewish comedy special takes home the prize
Jewish comedian Alex Edelman won the Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Special.
The HBO special “Just For Us” took Edelman’s successful Broadway show and brought it to television. The root of the show was a number of jokes about his experience of going to a white nationalists meeting after seeing antisemitism spike online. He details his fear of being outed as Jewish as he sees the trolls in real life.
“Sometimes people can tell that I’m Jewish because of my name or my face or anything about my personality,” he said of how he received antisemitic messages on Twitter (now X).
Read more: Does Alex Edelman’s show ‘Just For Us’ live up to the hype?
The 35-year-old, whose dates for the big night were his dad and mom, Elazar and Cheryl, was emotional as he accepted the award.
“Oh my God, I’m gonna cry in front of Carol Burnett, fantastic,” Edelman said on stage.
Edelman said it was the end of a seven-year journey with the show and was happy he could make something funny with his friend, Adam Brace, who directed “Just For Us.” Brace died at the age of 43 in April 2023 shortly before the production opened on Broadway. Brace had collaborated with Edelman on his previous shows “Millennial” and “Everything Handed to You.”
Hannah Einbinder and “Hacks” defies expectations
Jewish actress Hannah Einbinder, 29, stars in the HBO Max show “Hacks,” which won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, upsetting the favored series and reigning champion, “The Bear.”
After the big win, Einbinder’s mother, Laraine Newman wrote on X, “F—. THE. BEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Einbinder plays a young comedy writer named Ava Daniels, who vapes and finds no one will hire her after she’s made a controversial joke online. She is teamed with an older female comic in Las Vegas named Deborah Vance, played by Jean Smart. She calls Vance an “old hack” in their first meeting, but they eventually click.
Jon Stewart continues his Emmy Awards dominance
Jon Stewart and “The Daily Show” clinched the award for the best talk show. The Jewish comedian returned earlier this year to host after leaving nine years ago.
“You have made an old man very happy,” Stewart said.
This award was his 23rd Emmy and prompted him to reconsider whether he wanted to leave again after his contract is up in 2025.
“Well, my feeling is this election will never end. So why would I? How could I leave?” Stewart said backstage, per Variety. “I won’t be allowed to leave until the election, until we’re all ground to some sort of calcified nubs. … We’re looking forward to it being awful.”
Anti-Israel protests mark the beginning of the night
As with previous award shows, pro-Palestinian protesters protested outside the Peacock Theater where the event was held.
While the protest was small, it delayed the arrival of many attendees.
Protesters held signs with slogans like “no justifying the murder of children.”
Actors show their support for Israel, Palestine
The Israeli star of “We Were the Lucky Ones” Ido Samuel wore a yellow ribbon to show his support for the hostages still held by Hamas. Donned in a plain black suit, the World War II drama actor was the only star believed to have supported the hostages on the red carpet.
“The yellow ribbon is for the 101 hostages still being held captive and to bring awareness for their situation. Hopefully, everything will end soon and there will be peace and quiet for the families and for everybody,” he said.
Samuel added that Hollywood could help the hostages by “humanizing” them because “no one deserves to suffer.”
“It’s hard to be here at a happy occasion knowing there are people suffering,” he continued.
Multiple stars were spotted wearing red pins from Artsists4Ceasefire. “Bridgerton” breakout star Nicola Coughlan, who has been vocal in her support for Palestinians, wore the pin on her sparkly silver gown. Other celebrities include Dallas Goldtooth and Devery Jacobs from “Reservation Dogs,” writer Brittani Nichols from “Abbott Elementary” and talent agency executive Caroline Joyner.
While many have criticized Artists4Ceasefire for not being supportive of Israelis, the organization claims that its pins are meant to call for the release of the hostages alongside a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid to Gaza.
More Jews shine at the Creative Arts Emmys
In addition to the Primetime Emmys, the Creative Arts Emmys saw Jews take home awards.
Jewish composer Benj Pasek and his non-Jewish composing partner, Justin Paul took home top honors for in best Original Music and Lyrics for their work on “Only Murders in the Building.”
Actress Maya Rudolph earned the top prize for Character Voice-Over Performance as the Hormone Monstress in “Big Mouth.”
Comedian Eric André was victorious in the Outstanding Performer in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series category for “The Eric Andre Show.”
In the Outstanding Guest Actor and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, Jewish actor Jon Bernthal and Jamie Lee Curtis were both honored for their work on “The Bear.”
Originally Published Sep 16, 2024 12:27PM EDT
