The 2025 Emmy Awards were a celebration of long-awaited victories and the rising stars in Hollywood, making it a very memorable night in Emmy history. The show displayed the best actors in the industry while being an enjoyable show.
One big highlight of the night was the rising star Owen Cooper’s win for his role in “Adolescence,” which earned him the outstanding supporting actor. At just 15 years old, Cooper became the youngest male actor to ever win in this category. This was his first-ever acting job, and this shows how the young actors in Hollywood present some competition for the older actors. Cooper’s win was inspiring and showed that age barriers are nothing compared to raw talent.
This win, in my opinion, will encourage younger aspiring actors to pursue harder roles, win awards and break more records. Something we learned later in post-show interviews is that Cooper had never watched himself in his award-winning role. This was his first official role, so it was interesting to learn he had never seen it.
Another news-breaking story of the night was “Hacks” actress Hannah Einbinder’s acceptance speech. Einbinder won the award for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series, and during her acceptance speech, she spoke out on Palestine and Immigration and Customs Enforcement when she stated, “F-Ice, Free Palestine.” This was a very talked-about speech the whole night, and in my opinion, a very brave thing for her to do. Einbinder’s portrayal of Ava Daniels on “Hacks” is hilarious, and I am glad she won the award, and I believe her Emmy this night was long-awaited.
The most successful show that night was “The Pitt.” The series had an incredible night, racking up five Emmys. “The Pitt” was a very realistic show portraying the lives of ER nurses and doctors. Among these wins was actor Noah Wyle’s first-ever Emmy. After seven Emmy nominations over the last 30 years, he finally won for the role of Dr. Robby, a very well-deserved Emmy as well. Wyle’s performance was fantastic. “The Pitts’” multiple wins and successes speak to the ongoing evolution of television shows and how new series can tackle complex plots.
The hosting duties were the work of Nate Bargatze, an incredible comedian who has hosted “Saturday Night Live” twice. His wit and timing kept the audience entertained, and Bargatze’s humor struck a perfect balance, which offered funny moments while still keeping the show concise and award-winning. One of his memorable moments was his unique way of keeping the actors on track, which was deducting money from the Boys & Girls Club of America donation fund if an actor’s speech went over 45 seconds. This bit brought in many laughs and kept the show moving, which is an ongoing struggle in award shows, as actors can never stop talking. Bargatze’s hosting style showed that humor doesn’t have to be about making fun. It can be respectful yet effective, which keeps the audience and viewers entertained. His presence was definitely a refreshing addition to the existing hosts this year.
One more thing I wanted to bring attention to was the winner of the outstanding talk series, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” This was a very bittersweet win, as Colbert’s show was defunded earlier this year. I was very impressed that even with the show being canceled, it still came out on top and won an Emmy. Colbert got a standing ovation when he presented awards, and when he won the award, the audience gave him support in the wake of the bad news.
The 2025 Emmys were a superb and interesting show to watch. While some award shows struggle with their pacing and engagement, I really enjoyed watching and loved how they kept the energy up the whole time. This night will be remembered greatly by fans.
