2017 Emmy Awards or Trump's Worst Nightmare?

This past Sunday, the television industry came together with the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards. The Emmys showed that in the wake of Trump television will only continue to get better, more topical, and move forward. Everything about the Emmys was Trump’s worst nightmare. From the way the show talked about him to the shows, actors, directors, and writers that won I guarantee Mr. Trump was not to happy.

It didn’t take long for Trump’s name to be said by the show’s host, Stephen Colbert. Within his opening monologue, Colbert paused to reflect on the “Biggest TV star of the year,” Donald Trump. Colbert continued by saying that, “You can’t deny that every show was influenced by Donald Trump in some way.” He then went to argue why Donald Trump cares so much about the Emmy’s. When Donald Trump didn’t win an Emmy himself for his NBC show The Celebrity Apprentice he went on to call the Emmys rigged. Even during the campaign, Trump wouldn’t let it go. Colbert shared a clip from one of the debates, when Hillary Clinton called him out for calling the Emmy’s rigged he looked straight into the camera and said, “Should have gotten it.”

[Host, Stephen Colbert dancing with dancers dressed as "Handmaids"]

However, the show didn’t just stop at criticizing Trump but continued to show that Trump and Hollywood don’t share the same favorite television shows. The show awarded numerous shows that prove to be the antithesis of Trump’s base.

In terms of politics, the Academy awarded both Kate McKinnon and Alec Baldwin for their stellar roles on Saturday Night Live ridiculing the Trump presidency. Kate McKinnon, who’s best roles this year included portraying Hillary Clinton throughout the campaign and Jeff Sessions since the start of the administration, said in her acceptance speech that “Being part of this season of Saturday Night Live is the most meaningful thing [she] will ever do.” The SNL star also thanked Hillary Clinton for her “Grace and grit.” Even more poignantly, Alec Baldwin won his award for his portrayal of Donald Trump. In his acceptance speech, Baldwin taunted the president by saying, “I suppose I should say: At long last, Mr. President, here is your Emmy.” Awarding both McKinnon and Baldwin for their respective work is incredibly important in terms of defining the boundaries of political humor. Mr. Trump made it known on Twitter that he didn't like SNL throughout the past season, and awarding McKinnon and Baldwin for their roles respectively is a direct jab at the administration. Both of their roles are, and will continue to be, extremely important in order to call attention to flaws within the White House Administration.

[Kate McKinnon (left) and Hillary Clinton (right) during a skit on Saturday Night Live]

The Handmaid’s Tale took home some of the most coveted awards of the night including best actress in a drama series, best supporting actress in a drama series, and best writing for a drama series. The Hulu series, which is based off of Margaret Atwood’s novel with the same name, is a dystopian novel in which the totalitarian, Christian theonomic government of “Gilead” takes control in the former United States following a Civil War. In addition to restricting women’s reproductive rights the state also removes other freedoms for women such as having a job and reading. When the series first came out there was a lot of debate regarding the parallels between the series and the influence that Donald Trump and Mike Pence could have on American society. Specifically with the topic of women’s reproductive rights the show presents an extreme and disturbing reality that could be categorized under the beliefs of republicans and conservatives like Mike Pence. In fact, in June at a Planned Parenthood protest in Washington against a Republican-sponsored bill that was intended to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, women dressed up as “handmaids” mimicking the costume that the characters wear in the show. The show clearly is the antithesis of what Trump and those he surrounds himself with stand for. The fact that a show like The Handmaid’s Tale, that presents a disturbing fantasy that doesn’t seem too far fetched anymore, won demonstrate how television is being used to successfully present ideas that could be deemed “Anti-Trump”

[Oprah (left) presenting the award for Best Actress in a Drama to Elisabeth Moss (right)]

Lastly, in the wake of Trump’s announcement to repeal the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) as well as his difficulty in condemning white supremacy diversity flourished at the Emmys. There still is so much further for the television industry and Hollywood in general to go in terms of representation on screen. However, this year’s Emmys proved that regardless of Trump’s defense of white supremacy our art will continue to evolve in order to greater reflect our diverse nation. The awards also were diverse across many categories that have not historically featured people of color. Master of None star Lena Waithe became the first black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing. In her speech she thanked fans for “Embracing a little Indian boy from South Carolina and a little queer black girl from the South Side of Chicago.” Riz Ahmed became the first Muslim and South-Asian man to win an acting Emmy for his performance in The Night Of. Donald Glover set a record before the awards were handed out for the most nominations for any black performer and creator in a single year. Glover was nominated for outstanding comedy acting, directing, and writing. He became the first African American to win an Emmy for outstanding directing for a comedy series for his work on Atlanta. During his speech Glover thanked Donald Trump for making “Black people number one on the most-oppressed list.”

[From left to right, Lena Waithe, Stephen Glover, Donald Glover, and Riz Ahmed]

In a time when it is easy for one to think that we are moving backwards in many ways politically, the Emmy’s proved that television will continue to move forward and embrace artists of all race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation.

The 2017 Emmys awarded actors, actresses, and creators that have ridiculed Trump, presented themes that go against Trump’s beliefs, and are from backgrounds that Trump continues to oppress. The academy made a clear statement that not only are all of these things good television, but also that television will continue to be a voice of a future that is based off of justice and equality.

France, Lisa Respers. “Diversity Took Center Stage at Emmys.” CNN, Cable News Network, 18 Sept. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/09/18/entertainment/emmy-awards-diversity/index.html.

Koblin, John. “‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ Politics and ‘S.N.L.’ Dominate the Emmys.” The New York Times, 17 Sept. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/arts/television/emmy-awards.html?action=click&contentCollection=Television&module=RelatedCoverage®ion=EndOfArticle&pgtype=article&mtrref=www.nytimes.com.

Lewis, Hilary. “Emmys: Stephen Colbert Opens Show With Musical Number, Trump Jokes.”The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Sept. 2017, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/stephen-colberts-emmy-awards-2017-opening-monologue-highlights-1040153.