Who is hosting the 2022 Emmy Awards ceremony?
The biggest names in television will be together tonight for the 74th Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, with a big-name host from Saturday Night Live.
The 74th annual Primetime Emmy Awards are taking place tonight at the Microsoft Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. The annual event brings together the great and the good from the world of television and marks the greatest achievements on the silver screen from the past 12 months.
The ceremony will take place on Monday, 12 September with a three-hour coast-to-coast live telecast starting at 8pm ET / 5pm PT.
The role of Emmys host is always a big deal and this year’s presenter has a history with the award. Actor and comedian Kenan Thompson won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for the Saturday Night Live sketch, “Come Back Barack.” He has also picked up another three nominations for his work on SNL.
The 44-year-old began his television career in the early 1990s and shot to fame on Nickelodeon’s ‘All That’. He joined the team at Saturday Night Live in 2003 and has been an ever-present through the ever-changing cast of stars. He has become the longest-working SNL cast member in history and one of the most prominent comics on TV.
Kenan Thompson has big plans for the show
The Emmy Awards ceremony has been hosted by some big names in the past and a comedian is often picked for the role. Last year it was Cedric the Entertainer, who hosted a hybrid in-person/socially distant event as the nation was still recovering from the pandemic.
Jimmy Kimmel has hosted three times in the past decade, most recently in 2020 when he oversaw a live-streamed version of the iconic event. But this year things are back to normal for Thompson’s big moment and he sounds enthused about the opportunity to work on such a big production.
“There’s a great team that’s involved. I definitely don’t feel like I’m floating out there by myself,” Thompson told the Los Angeles Times. “I’m really excited about it. There’s some great pieces coming together.”
“I’m going to be pretty straightforward — a good monologue and keeping the energy up will be my approach. I enjoy honoring artistry and creativity.”
Reginald Hudlin, Emmys executive producer, was full of praise for this year’s host: “He is beloved, and from the time we announced him there’s been nothing but positive responses.”
“He has these great connections with everyone, and we’re going to maximize those connections. ... He’s the unofficial mayor of Hollywood.”