Comedian cracks jokes on hosting the awards on a Monday night, the state of TV in general

Aug 26, 2014 07:12 GMT  ·  By
Official host Seth Meyers delivers hilarious opening monolog at the Emmy Awards 2014
   Official host Seth Meyers delivers hilarious opening monolog at the Emmy Awards 2014

Seth Meyers was the host of the Emmy Awards 2014, held last night at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, and from the moment he was booked, he must have known he was under a lot of pressure to rise to the bar set by the hosts of previous editions, Neil Patrick Harris, and Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

He delivered on that from his first seconds on stage, with the opening monolog, which you will find embedded in full and in HD below. The awards gala aired live on NBC, but even if you’re not exactly a fan of the Emmys, you should probably watch Meyers’ skit because it’s bound to put a smile on your face.

In such monologs, it’s customary for the host to mock fellow celebrities, usually those in attendance, make jokes about drinking and popping pills, and thus set the mood for a fun night.

Meyers did all that, but he also took jabs at the state of television and how the Emmys being hosted on a Monday night in the fall probably means they’re about to be canceled. He also talked about how cable was losing ground to streaming services, and how television in general seems to become somewhat of a rare art form.

Of course, this is just a joke because, realistically speaking, television has been having a few very good years, to the point where critics are again talking about a “golden age” for it. Granted, some things have changed in the way the public consumes this form of entertainment, but the bottom line is that television isn’t going anywhere.

In fact, movies often pale in comparison to TV series, both in terms of quality and the kind of money they generate, which is why we’re now seeing more and more big screen actors making the transition to the small one.

Back to the Emmys, here’s how Meyers kicked off his opening monolog: “Welcome to the Emmy Awards. This year we’re doing it on a Monday in August which I understand in television means the Emmys are about to get canceled.”

“We’re doing it on a Monday in part because MTV aired the Video Music Awards. Yes, MTV still has an award for music videos. That’s like networks holding an awards show and giving all the trophies to cable and Netflix. That would be crazy! Why would they do that?!” he continued.

And from here on, he just kept going and going, delivering one solid joke after another. However, his favorite seemed to be that on the decision to have the Emmys on what is also known as a “school night.”

Meyers rounded up his introduction with a love declaration to Television, who is a much better lover than her diva sister Movie is, if only because she is always there for you. “Television has always been the booty-call friend of entertainment,” is how he described her.

You don’t see that in the video below, but after he promised everyone they’d have a very fun night, he welcomed on stage his good friend, who had written her speech on her own, Beyonce. It was actually Amy Poehler.

Enjoy!