Emmy Awards: Jimmy Kimmel uses fake audience reactions for his opening monologue

While there was no live audience in place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Jimmy Kimmel threw fans for a surprise with his opening monologue.

When Kimmel, 52, stepped onto the stage, he was greeted by what appeared to be a packed house, though it was revealed later that the audience reactions were not live.

In fact, Kimmel was delivering his monologue in front of an empty arena, with a few celeb cutouts and a surprise appearance by Jason Bateman, as they revealed how the awards show will proceed in the pandemic.

Audience: While there was no live audience in place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Jimmy Kimmel threw fans for a surprise with his opening monologue

Bateman: In fact, Kimmel was delivering his monologue in front of an empty arena, with a few celeb cutouts and a surprise appearance by Jason Batemen, as they revealed how the awards show will proceed in the pandemic

There were several shots of the ‘audience’ in the opening moments, which was presumably from last year’s Emmys ceremony, with Kimmel beginning immediately by addressing the pandemic, stating, ‘Welcome to the Pandemmys!’

He then added that it was great to ‘see people again’ while thanking everyone – and himself – for risking everything to be there.

He then asked why they were having an awards show in the midst of a pandemic, joking, ‘Why is this the year they have to have a host?’

Audience: There were several shots of the ‘audience’ in the opening moments, which was presumably from last year’s Emmys ceremony, with Kimmel beginning immediately by addressing the pandemic, stating, ‘Welcome to the Pandemmys!’

Kimmel added that it might seem ‘frivolous and unnecessary’ to hold the Emmys this year, though he added it’s frivolous and unnecessary ‘every other year.’  

He admitted that the Emmy ceremony is not ‘important,’ adding it’s not going to ‘stop COVID or put out the fires,’ but it’s fun and ‘we need fun’ right now.

Kimmel added that through it all, television has ‘always been there’ for us,’ and that while this year might be terrible, television has ‘never been better.’

He also gave Norman Lear a shout-out for being the oldest Emmy winner ever at 98 years of age, which he won at the Creative Arts Emmys last week.

He also made a crack towards upstart Quibi, which he called ‘the dumbest thing to cost $1 billion, while adding that he has to show a Schitt’s Creek graphic on the screen, which he joked was indicative of how network TV is dying.

‘HBO can show us a big blue penis, no problem, I can’t say Schitt’s with a C,’ Kimmel said, but when he made a joke about Watchmen being ‘something that Jerry Falwell Jr. was into,’ they showed an audience reaction shot of Kimmel himself.

Kimmel said on stage that, ‘How can I be down there? If I’m up here that means no one is in the audience. That would mean that I’m up here all alone.’

The house lights came on and revealed that the arena was in fact empty, with Kimmel joking it was ‘just like prom night.’ 

‘Of course I’m here all alone! Of course we don’t have an audience. This isn’t a MAGA rally, this is the Emmys!’ Kimmel exclaimed.

He added that the Emmys took a page out of baseball’s playbook, using cardboard cutouts of celebrities, such as Regina King, Hugh Jackman,