I can't sit through the Emmy Awards or any of the shows like that. It's lots of very well-paid and famous people — some of whom deserve it and some of whom don't — fawning over each other and sharing perfunctory compliments and making like what they do is the supreme human achievement. I am not alone in my disdain for these telecasts. Viewership has been steadily plunging for years but despite this, content suppliers keep crafting new awards and new shows.
The one thing I like about the Emmys is that each year when John Oliver's show gets its obligatory two, Mr. Oliver is genuinely funny and spontaneous in his acceptance speeches and post-award interviews…and you can see that he doesn't attach any undue importance to the wins. Indeed, he seems to treat the statuettes and the attendant rituals as gestures that will keep his program on the air and free of network interference.
Here's an acceptance speech from the other night and a couple of the many interviews he did in the press room after…
And here he is, expertly handling a reporter from TMZ who stuck a camera in his face at the airport…