Anthony Anderson kicks off Emmys with sitcom theme song medley and a Travis Barker cameo

Anthony Anderson transformed the 75th Emmys stage into the set of a sitcom for his time-traveling awards show opening.

He managed to avoid insulting any of the audience — which fellow comedian Jo Koy was criticized for doing at the recent Golden Globes — instead had most of the crowd singing along.

Rather than a conventional monologue, Anderson launched the first act of a skit during his opening segment, which continued throughout the telecast.

The host walked onto the stage and welcomed the crowd to the ceremony which also fell on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"We're going to commemorate the greatest shows of today while paying tribute to some of the iconic series that mean so much to us," he told the crowd.

Anderson recalled growing up in Compton, California, and watching sitcoms in his living room. In a magical twist, he then introduced a choir as he sat at a piano and played the theme songs from a few beloved shows.

After giving a shout out to the late Norman Lear, Anderson played the "Good Times" theme song.

He mentioned that he had crushes on both Tutti and Mrs. Garrett from "The Facts of Life" before playing that show's iconic theme song, too.

Travis Barker, who appeared with wife Kourtney Kardashian Barker on the red carpet, then joined him on stage for a drum solo as Anderson sang along Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight."

After their performance, the recently divorced Emmys host joked that he would invite Barker to his next wedding.

The comedian started to thank his mom and "We Are Family" co-host Doris Bowman for helping him achieve his dreams as the cameras cut to her reaction in the audience.

Bowman stood up from her seat in the audience and playfully yelled, "Time's up, baby! Cut to the chase!"

He heeded her advice and decided to introduce Christina Applegate to announce the first award of the evening.

Anderson also warned the nominees that instead of having music play them off for their speeches going too long, they will instead be interrupted by his mother — as Jennifer Coolidge learned, later, while accepting her outstanding supporting actress award for "White Lotus."

Hosted by Anthony Anderson, the 2023 Emmys, which were rescheduled from September 2023 to January 2024, were broadcast live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The 2023 Emmys are available to stream on Hulu starting today.

There were a number of A-list stars and appearances from famous faces, including reunions from shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Martin,” “Ally McBeal” and more.

Follow TODAY.com for complete Emmys coverage, including this year’s winners and unexpected moments.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com