Emmys 2021: The Crown dominates, streamers get ahead, and three more talking points

The 2021 Emmys took place on Sunday, with attendees joining from Los Angeles and London as the ceremony returned to an in-person format.

Only a limited amount of nominees were invited to attend, and all had to present proof that they were vaccinated against Covid – as well as negative tests – in order to gain access to the event.

Actor and comedian Cedric the Entertainer was on hosting duties. Heading into the evening, The Crown and The Mandalorian were leading this year’s nominations.

During the ceremony, The Crown, The Queen’s Gambit and Ted Lasso won the evening’s top awards. Mare of Easttown also scored several high-profile wins, including Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie for Kate Winslet.

Here are the main talking points from the 2021 Emmy Awards:

Powerful women

Wonderful women stole the show at this year’s ceremony, from Kate Winslet’s speech about her detective in Mare of Easttown being a “middle-aged, imperfect, flawed mother who made us all feel validated”, to Michaela Coel dedicating her win to “every single survivor of sexual assault”. A big shout-out to Olivia Colman too, who we’re pretty sure got bleeped out for shouting “Michaela Coel, f*** yeah!” (or similar) in her own acceptance speech. (EH)

Covid concerns

The coronavirus pandemic, as it has become known to do, wormed its way into many speeches over the course of the night. Seth Rogen criticised the event’s perceived lack of Covid measures, calling it “insane”, while host Cedric the Entertainer joked that the vaccine did not lead to his testicles becoming swollen, in a reference to Nicki Minaj’s comments this week. Ewan McGregor and Kate Winslet, meanwhile, were among the winners to thank their shows’ crews for keeping them safe during filming. (EH)

All-white winners in major categories

Despite calls and efforts to get major awards shows to reward the work of actors of colour, white actors won all 12 major acting awards during Sunday’s ceremony. This applies to the lead and supporting actor and actress trophies in the Drama, Comedy, and Limited or Anthology Series or Movie categories. This despite the fact that – as reported by The Hollywood Reporter – performers of colour made up 44 per cent of this year’s nominees. (CM)

The Crown wins big

Netflix’s British royal saga was crowned Outstanding Drama Series in one of its many wins of the evening. With seven trophies, it emerged as the top programme of the 2021 Emmys. Many of its stars won acting awards, including a tearful Olivia Colman, a giggling Josh O’Connor, Tobias Menzies and Gillian Anderson. Its director Jessica Hobbs also triumphed, as well as creator Peter Morgan. (CM)

A great night for streamers

The Crown, a Netflix series, won Outstanding Drama Series, one of the evening’s top three awards. Outstanding Comedy Series went to Ted Lasso, an Apple TV+ programme, while The Queen’s Gambit, another Netflix show, won Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. In other words: streamers ruled television’s biggest night, and the streaming wars aren’t going to ease off any time soon. (CM)

Follow the ceremony as it happened with out live blog:

Key Points

• All the winners as they’re announced

• Kerry Washington pays tribute to Michael K Williams

• Gillian Anderson confuses viewers by accepting award in American accent

Sunday 19 September 2021 11:50 , Jacob Stolworthy

Hello, and welcome to The Independent’s Emmys 2021 live blog!

Sunday 19 September 2021 12:49 , Jacob Stolworthy

So, who is gonna win this year’s awards? You can find all of our predictions – as well as the ones we want to win – here

Emmy Awards 2021: Who will win and who should win

Sunday 19 September 2021 13:38 , Jacob Stolworthy

From Richmond to LA: Ted Lasso fans will no doubt like to see the cast having a moment on the red carpet

Sunday 19 September 2021 14:10 , Jacob Stolworthy

Tonight could see Michael K Williams win a posthumous Emmy for his supporting role in Lovecraft Country.

Sunday 19 September 2021 14:30 , Jacob Stolworthy

In case you’re wondering which network is leading the nominations tally, it’s HBO with 130.

They have just one more than Netflix, who could take home the Best Drama trophy for the first time thanks to The Crown.

Sunday 19 September 2021 14:55 , Jacob Stolworthy

Speaking of The Crown, it could sweep tonight if voters go for favourites Gillian Anderson (Margaret Thatcher), Emma Corrin (Princess Diana) and Josh O’Connor (Prince Charles).

Sunday 19 September 2021 15:25 , Jacob Stolworthy

WandaVision won at the Creative Emmys last week – and became the first Marvel TV show to do so. Could it win some trophies tonight?

Sunday 19 September 2021 15:55 , Jacob Stolworthy

A lot of people are also hoping Kate Winslet wins an award for Mare of Easttown.

Sunday 19 September 2021 16:25 , Jacob Stolworthy

Something to be worried about: The Underground Railroad – easily one of the year’s best tv shows – winning nothing.

Sunday 19 September 2021 17:00 , Jacob Stolworthy

A win for Pose star MJ Rodriguez, who is the first transgender woman to earn an Emmy nomination, would be a historical moment

Sunday 19 September 2021 17:30 , Jacob Stolworthy

Britain’s biggest chance at a win tonight comes via Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You.

Sunday 19 September 2021 18:00 , Jacob Stolworthy

However, it will face extremely stiff competition from The Queen’s Gambit, which swept up at last week’s creative Emmy Awards ceremony. It’s currently odds on favourite to win.

Sunday 19 September 2021 19:00 , Jacob Stolworthy

Here’s Anya Taylor Joy, Yvette Nicole Brown, Kathryn Hahn, Evan Peters and more at a pre-party alongside several other nominees last night.

Sunday 19 September 2021 19:30 , Jacob Stolworthy

Earlier this year, our very own Kevin E G Perry waxed lyrical about Jean Smart. He predicted she would win her fourth Emmy for Hacks back then. Will his prediction come true?

From Frasier’s crush to Mare’s mum: How Jean Smart became the new Queen of TV

Sunday 19 September 2021 20:00 , Jacob Stolworthy

It’s worth noting that Smart was also fantastic as Kate Winslet’s mum in Mare of Easttown – but it would be nice to see her co-star Julianne Nicholson (who has been amazing in everything for so long) get the recognition she is long overdue.

Sunday 19 September 2021 20:30 , Jacob Stolworthy

So, who will reign supreme in the battle of the Handmaid’s Tale cast? The Hulu series received EIGHT acting nominations – however, it looks like The Crown could snatch victory.

Sunday 19 September 2021 21:00 , Jacob Stolworthy

Similarly, Ted Lasso has seven acting nominations. As opposed to The Handmaid’s Tale, it looks like the Apple tV+ sitcom will emerge victorious. Jason Sudeikis, Brett Goldstein and Hannah Waddingham all look set to take home trophies tonight.

Sunday 19 September 2021 21:30 , Jacob Stolworthy

It’s around this time we should probably point out that Emily in Paris – the critically-maligned Netflix show – somehow managed to get a nomination for Best Comedy Series...

Sunday 19 September 2021 22:00 , Jacob Stolworthy

It’s not long to go until the red carpet coverage begins! The excitement is building...

Sunday 19 September 2021 22:30 , Jacob Stolworthy

The ceremony tonight will be hosted by Cedric the Entertainer. Not all the nominees will be present due to Covid restrictions.

Sunday 19 September 2021 23:01 , Clemence Michallon

Good evening everyone! Clémence here taking over from Jacob. We’re two hours away from the start of the ceremony, meaning celebrities should start arriving on the red carpet.

Sunday 19 September 2021 23:08 , Clemence Michallon

Rachel Lindsay and Karamo Brown are here!

Sunday 19 September 2021 23:26 , Clemence Michallon

And here are Olivia Colman, Gillian Anderson, and Josh O’Connor, who are all nominated for their performances in The Crown – respectively as Queen Elizabeth II, Margaret Thatcher, and Prince Charles. O’Connor is in Los Angeles, while Colman and Anderson are in London.

O’Connor tells ET he’s the only member of the cast who was in the US (specifically in New York) ahead of the ceremony, which is why he was able to go to LA. He underwent “many” swabs to ensure he was negative for Covid.

Sunday 19 September 2021 23:48 , Clemence Michallon

Amber Ruffin, Cecily Strong, O-T Fagbenle, and Ken Jeong are here!

Monday 20 September 2021 00:09 , Clemence Michallon

I’m hearing on the ET red carpet live stream that Cedric the Entertainer, our host for the evening, has a massive opening segment planned involving many, many celebrities. Looking forward to that!

Monday 20 September 2021 00:22 , Clemence Michallon

Speaking of Cedric the Entertainer, here he is on the red carpet! Along with Aidy Bryant, Billy Porter, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Emma Corrin, and Jennifer Coolidge:

Monday 20 September 2021 00:30 , Clemence Michallon

And here is Josh O’Connor (aka Prince Charles in The Crown) representing the show at the ceremony in Los Angeles. The rest of the cast is joining from London, but O’Connor was in New York and was able to fly to the West Coast.

Monday 20 September 2021 00:45 , Clemence Michallon

Jason Sudeikis, aka Ted Lasso, has entered the chat!

Monday 20 September 2021 00:48 , Clemence Michallon

And here is Regé-Jean Page aka Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings from Bridgerton!

Monday 20 September 2021 00:53 , Clemence Michallon

The ceremony is less than 10 minutes away! Now’s the time to read over our predictions...

Emmy Awards 2021: Who will win and who should win

01:01 , Clemence Michallon

Here we go! The 2021 Emmys are officially starting. We begin with a montage from various nominated shows, including The Handmaid’s Tale, Bridgerton, and Ted Lasso.

01:06 , Clemence Michallon

Cedric the Entertainer leads the crowd of attendees in a singalong of “Just A Friend”. Sweet! Everyone seems genuinely thrilled to be here.

01:10 , Clemence Michallon

And without further ado, the first win of the night! Hannah Waddingham wins Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series for her role in Ted Lasso!

Also nominated were Rosie Perez, Hannah Einbinder, Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, and Juno Temple.

01:12 , Clemence Michallon

Hannah Waddingham’s speech was amazing!

01:15 , Clemence Michallon

Breaking news: we’ve got another Ted Lasso victory! Brett Goldstein wins Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series.

Also nominated in the category were Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Paul Reiser, Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, Brendan Hunt, Nick Mohammed, and Jeremy Swift.

“This cast make me sick they’re so good,” Goldstein says after swearing and getting part of his speech beeped on the US broadcast.

01:27 , Clemence Michallon

We have our first Mare of Easttown victory of the night! Julianne Nicholson wins Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie for her performance as Lori Ross.

She was nominated alongside Renée Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, Jean Smart, Moses Ingram, and Kathryn Hahn.

“Man, you’re good at acting!” Nicholson tells her co-star Kate Winslet.

01:31 , Clemence Michallon

Mare of Easttown just won another Emmy! Evan Peters wins for his work as Detective Colin Zabel. And I think he swore because part of his speech just got silenced on the US broadcast. Who could blame him?

Peters was nominated alongside Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Groff, Anthony Ramos, Paapa Essiedu, and Thomas Brodie-Sangster.

In his acceptance speech, Peters thanks Kate Winslet “for being Kate Winslet!!” Indeed!

01:31 , Clemence Michallon

For anyone keeping score, that’s two wins for Ted Lasso and two wins for Mare of Easttown. And it’s time for an ad break here in the US.

01:41 , Clemence Michallon

The Crown just took its first Emmy of the evening! Peter Morgan wins Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series for the episode “War”.

Also nominated were Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Boys), Yahlin Chang (The Handmaid’s Tale), Misha Green (Lovecraft Country),Dave Filoni (The Mandalorian), Jon Favreau (The Mandalorian), as well as Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Steven Canals, Janet Mock, and Our Lady J (Pose).

01:43 , Clemence Michallon

And here comes another win for The Crown! Jessica Hobbs wins Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series for “War”.

Also nominated were Julie Anne Robinson (Bridgerton), Benjamin Caron (The Crown), Liz Garbus (The Handmaid’s Tale), Jon Favreau (The Mandalorian), and Steven Canals (Pose).

01:52 , Clemence Michallon

Another win for The Crown! Gillian Anderson wins Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series for her performance as Margaret Thatcher.

Also nominated were Helena Bonham Carter, Emerald Fennell , Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, Yvonne Strahovski, Samira Wiley, and Aunjanue Ellis.

01:54 , Clemence Michallon

Kerry Washington just paid a moving tribute to Michael K Williams, who died on 6 September aged 54 and is nominated tonight for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series. She tells Williams she knows he’s here, because he wouldn’t miss the ceremony.

01:56 , Clemence Michallon

Tobias Menzies wins Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series for his role as as Prince Philip in The Crown!

Menzies, who couldn’t attend the ceremony tonight, was nominated alongside O-T Fagbenle, Max Minghella, Bradley Whitford, Giancarlo Esposito, John Lithgow, and Chris Sullivan.

Washington (pictured earlier on the red carpet) accepted Menzie’s award on his behalf.

01:57 , Clemence Michallon

Big fan of this moment in Evan Peters’s acceptance speech after his Mare of Easttown win:

02:06 , Clemence Michallon

The team from Last Week Tonight With John Oliver wins Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series! Also nominated were the teams of writers from The Amber Ruffin Show, A Black Lady Sketch Show, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and Saturday Night Live.

02:08 , Clemence Michallon

And Last Week Tonight With John Oliver also wins Outstanding Variety Talk Series, beating Conan, The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

02:11 , Clemence Michallon

SNL win alert! Saturday Night Live just won Outstanding Variety Sketch Series. It was nominated alongside A Black Lady Sketch Show.

02:16 , Clemence Michallon

Evan Peters and Julianne Nicholson of Mare of Easttown are looking adorably victorious in the press room!

02:20 , Clemence Michallon

The cast of Schitt’s Creek are here to present the Emmy for Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series and they are a HIT with the attendees.

02:22 , Clemence Michallon

And the award for Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series goes to... Lucia Aniello, Paul W Downs, and Jen Statsky of Hacks!

The teams behind The Flight Attendant, Girls5eva, Pen15, and Ted Lasso were also nominated.

02:29 , Clemence Michallon

Another win for Hacks which just took Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series! Director Lucia Aniello thanks cast members Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder for their work on the show.

Also nominated were directors James Burrows (B Positive), Susanna Fogel (The Flight Attendant), James Widdoes (Mom), Zach Braff (Ted Lasso), MJ Delaney (Ted Lasso), and Declan Lowney (Ted Lasso).

02:32 , Clemence Michallon

Let’s see what Twitter has to say!

02:37 , Clemence Michallon

Jason Alexander, Zooey Deschanel, Cedric the Entertainer, and Alyson Hannigan are all co-starring in a skit about the Emmys they have and have not won:

02:40 , Clemence Michallon

Jean Smart wins Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series for her role in Hacks!

She was nominated alongside Tracee Ellis Ross, Kaley Cuoco, Allison Janney, and Aidy Bryant.

Smart pays tribute to her late husband, thanking him for putting his career on the back burner so that she could pursue opportunities in her own professional life.

And look at Kate Winslet (Smart’s co-star from Mare of Easttown whistling in the background)!

02:45 , Clemence Michallon

Jennifer Coolidge is a presenter tonight and she is getting ALL the cheers. She also congratulates the male nominees for overcoming the obstacle of being men in the industry, telling them in jest: “Bravo, gentlemen.”

And the winner of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series is... Jason Sudeikis for Ted Lasso! He was nominated alongside Anthony Anderson, Kenan Thompson, Michael Douglas, and William H Macy.

02:55 , Clemence Michallon

RuPaul’s Drag Race wins Outstanding Competition Program!

The other nominees were The Amazing Race, Nailed It!, Top Chef, and The Voice.

02:59 , Clemence Michallon

Did you catch Cedric the Entertainer’s segment about the British royal family earlier?

Cedric the Entertainer makes fun of the royal family at the 2021 Emmys

03:04 , Clemence Michallon

Debbie Allen is being honoured with the 2021 Governors Award in recognition of her entire career.

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences give the award every year “to an individual, company, organisation or project for outstanding achievement in the arts and sciences or management of television which is either of a cumulative nature or so extraordinary and universal in nature as to go beyond the scope of the Emmy Awards presented in the categories and areas of the competition.”

Allen tells younger generations in her speech that “it’s your turn” as she encourages them to tell their stories.

03:06 , Clemence Michallon

Are you wondering who’s the wonderful DJ on duty at tonight’s ceremony?

It’s none other than Reggie Watts, a comedian, actor, and musician who currently leads the house band on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

Read all about him here:

Who is the DJ at the 2021 Emmys?

03:11 , Clemence Michallon

The Queen’s Gambit just won its first Emmy of the evening! Scott Frank takes home the award for Outstanding Directing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie.

His fellow nominees were Thomas Kail (Hamilton), Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You), Sam Miller (I May Destroy You), Craig Zobel (Mare of Easttown), Barry Jenkins (The Underground Railroad), and Matt Shakman (WandaVision).

03:24 , Clemence Michallon

Michaela Coel wins Outstanding Writing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie for I May Destroy You!

The other nominees were Brad Ingelsby (Mare of Easttown), Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit), Chuck Hayward and Peter Cameron (WandaVision), Jac Schaeffer (WandaVision), and Laura Donney (WandaVision).

Coel also scored nominations for Outstanding Directing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie, Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie, Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series, and Outstanding Writing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie.

She dedicates her win to all survivors of sexual assault.

03:29 , Clemence Michallon

Kate Winslet wins Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie for Mare of Easttown!

She was nominated alongside Cynthia Erivo, Michaela Coel, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Elizabeth Olsen.

03:31 , Clemence Michallon

Things are accelerating at the Emmys! Ewan McGregor just won Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie for Halston!

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr, Hugh Grant, and Paul Bettany were also nominated in the category.

03:39 , Clemence Michallon

Olivia Colman just won Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II!

Emma Corrin, Elisabeth Moss, Uzo Aduba, Jurnee Smollett, and Mj Rodriguez were also nominated.

Colman pays tribute to her father, who died during the coronavirus pandemic.

03:42 , Clemence Michallon

Another win for The Crown! Josh O’Connor wins Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series for his role as Prince Charles.

Regé-Jean Page, Jonathan Majors, Matthew Rhys, Billy Porter, and Sterling K Brown were all nominated in the category.

03:51 , Clemence Michallon

Stephen Colbert's Election Night 2020: Democracy's Last Stand Building Back America Great Again Better 2020 wins Outstanding Variety Special (Live)!

Also nominated were Celebrating America - An Inauguration Night Special, The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, The Oscars, and The Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show Starring The Weeknd were also nominated.

03:57 , Clemence Michallon

Hamilton wins Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)!

Also nominated were Bo Burnham: Inside, David Byrne's American Utopia 8:46 - Dave Chappelle, Friends: The Reunion, and A West Wing Special To Benefit When We All Vote.

04:06 , Clemence Michallon

And the Emmy for Oustanding Comedy Series goes to... Ted Lasso!

The show was nominated alongside black-ish, Cobra Kai, Emily In Paris, The Flight Attendant, Hacks, The Kominsky Method, and Pen15.

04:12 , Clemence Michallon

And just like that, it’s time for Outstanding Drama Series!

And the award goes to...

The Crown!

Also nominated were The Boys, Bridgerton, The Handmaid’s Tale, Lovecraft Country, The Mandalorian, Pose, and This Is Us.

Here’s most of the cast reacting from London, while Josh O’Connor rejoices from Los Angeles:

04:15 , Clemence Michallon

It’s time for the final award of the evening, for Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series!

And the winner is... The Queen’s Gambit!

The other nominees were I May Destroy You, Mare of Easttown, The Underground Railroad, and WandaVision.

04:15 , Clemence Michallon

Olivia Colman paid a moving tribute to her father earlier during the ceremony. Read her speech here:

Olivia Colman in tears as she accepts Emmy: ‘I lost my dad during Covid’

04:19 , Clemence Michallon

Spotted: Emmys viewers left confused by Gillian Anderson’s American accent:

Gillian Anderson confuses Emmy viewers by accepting award in American accent

05:11 , Clemence Michallon

This concludes our live blog of the 2021 Emmys. Thank you for following along!