Getty Emmy Statue is seen in front of the Television Academy during the red carpet for the 68th Los Angeles Emmy Awards featuring Niecy Nash, Jason George, Mary Holland, Florence Henderson and Larry King in North Hollywood, California, on July 23, 2016.
The 69th Annual Emmy Awards are finally here, and fans are wondering who’ll be hosting the festivities. Stephen Colbert will be hosting the Emmys this year, in what’s bound to be the most exciting– at the very least, the freshest– awards show we’ve had in a while.
Colbert is also up for two awards tonight, and could become the first performer in TV Academy history to win multiple awards while acting as host. In a recent interview with CBS News, the talkshow host said, “Well, it’s an honor. It’s an honor to host the Emmys. And it’s fun because if you lose, you still have something to do. You know. Same reason I liked waiting tables on New Year’s Eve. If I didn’t like the party, I still had a job.”
New shows– one’s we haven’t seen at the Emmys before– are up for awards this year, including This Is Us, Westworld, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Crown, and Stranger Things.
The latter, which was a fan-favorite hit for Netflix, scored a whopping 19 nominations. SNL and Westworld lead the pack with 22 nominations each.
Considering the fact that Colbert is hosting, and that two shows centering on political themes are up for trophies, it’s likely the ceremony won’t shy away from political talk. Colbert recently told Variety, “The biggest story of the year is not Westworld. It’s not The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s not Milo Ventimiglia’s luscious abs. That’s not what we cared about. The biggest TV star of the year is Donald Trump.”
The Emmys will air tonight, Sunday, September 17, at 8pm ET on CBS. Red carpet coverage of the event will start about an hour prior.