The 2025 Emmys in 14 quotes that captured shock, joy and history

The 2025 Emmy Awards are in the books, with Adolescence sweeping and The Studio and The Pitt scoring big wins. Nate Bargatze took his first stab at hosting, nominees brought their A-game to the red carpet, and Hollywood’s cutest couples served serious A-list energy.

The three-hour show ran just a few minutes over, with Bargatze using a charity gimmick to keep the winners’ thank-yous in check. While a few political statements slipped through, most of the night stayed light and drama-free.

Some highlights include Stephen Colbert receiving an early standing ovation, Tramell Tillman and Owen Cooper making history, the Gilmore Girls reuniting and Cristin Milioti delivering a passionate acceptance speech that culminated in a scream.

From heartfelt acknowledgments to one-liners and everything in between, these quotes capture the essence of the night.

“While I have your attention, is anyone hiring?” — Stephen Colbert

Two months after The Late Show was canceled, a decision many viewed as politically motivated, Colbert has received widespread support in Hollywood, and Emmys night was no exception. As the first presenter, the late-night host was greeted with a standing ovation, which he followed with this perfectly delivered employment joke, mostly to shine a light on the 200 staffers of his show who will be out of jobs in June. Later, when Colbert won for Talk Series, the audience stood up again. That time, he reflected on how his goal in taking over the show a decade ago was to create a comedy program about love. “Ten years later … I have never loved my country more desperately,” he said.

“What a dream this has been." — Noah Wyle

After seven nominations, the star of The Pitt finally added Emmy winner to his résumé. Wyle was nominated five times for acting during his ER era in the 1990s. Fast-forward to his latest doctor drama, playing Dr. Robby, and he won for Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Drama Series. He sweetly dedicated his acting win to the real medical professionals out there, saying: “To anybody who is going on shift tonight or coming off shift tonight, thank you for being in that job. This is for you.”

“I've never won anything in my life.” — Seth Rogen

The Studio was a big winner — and nobody was more surprised by the recognition than its star and cocreator. While collecting the Lead Actor in a Comedy Series award, he didn’t hide his shock, joking that as a child, he bought a used bowling trophy at an estate sale because he — and his parents — never thought he’d win accolades on his own.

“‘You remember what you want to remember. You make time for what you want to make time for. Do the work. Show up. And most importantly, for the love of God, don’t embarrass me in public.’ My first acting coach was tough, y’all. But all great mothers are.” — Tramell Tillman

The Severance star, who made history as the first Black actor to win in the Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category, sweetly shouted out his mother onstage. Delightfully, she was seated in the audience and put her hand to her heart.

“I love acting so much. WOOO!” — Cristin Milioti

Winning for Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Penguin, Milioti gave the most impassioned remarks of the night. After she revealed that she wrote her speech on the back of notes from a therapy appointment, Milioti said that it’s “very hard to make sense of being alive right now in this world.” Still, she’s “deeply grateful for the bright spots,” like playing her villainous character. After thanking collaborators, like showrunner Lauren LeFranc, “whose brain I want to freebase,” Milioti wrapped up with a gleeful scream.

“We remember them not just for their immense talent but also for the way they made us believe in something bigger.” — Phylicia Rashad

The Cosby Show mom introduced the in memoriam section of the telecast, paying tribute to her onscreen son, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who drowned in July at age 54, and other TV stars who died this year.

“F*** you, Nate Bargatze. That’s a lot of money for you.” — John Oliver

While accepting the award for Scripted Variety Series, the Last Week Tonight With John Oliver host delivered his speech at lightning speed. But he made time to playfully jab at host Bargatze’s charity bit, which deducted money from a donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for acknowledgments that ran long but also added money for shorter ones.

"For the past 25 years, I've been like, ‘World, I want to be an actor.’ And the world's like, ‘Uh, maybe computers?’” — Jeff Hiller

The Somebody Somewhere talent, who won for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, also thanked his costar Bridget Everett and HBO “for putting a show about sweaty middle-aged people on the same network as the sexy teens of Euphoria.”

“I was nothing about three years ago. I'm here now.” — Owen Cooper

The 15-year-old British actor, who stars in Adolescence, made history by becoming the youngest male actor to ever receive an Emmy. The teen’s speech, while holding his Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie trophy, was sweet as he talked about how he never pictured where he’d be today when he signed up for drama classes a few years earlier. “I think tonight proves that, if you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life,” he said.

“Go birds, f*** ICE, free Palestine.” — Hannah Einbinder

The Hacks actress, who won Supporting Actress in a Comedy, made one of the few political statements of the night with these parting words that put the censors to work. Backstage, Einbinder expanded on her remarks, further addressing her stance.

“We're not doing a remake of 'Little and Large.'” — Stephen Graham

While collecting the hardware for Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, the Adolescence star poked fun at the height difference between himself and cocreator Jack Thorne, referencing a 1980s British comedy show. Graham had a busy night. He also won Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for the Netflix series.

“I won this award for the first time 50 years ago in 1976. I was younger and had a lot of dreams about what would happen in my life. Not one of those dreams was me doing the same show for the next 50 years.” — Lorne Michaels

While accepting the Emmy for SNL50: The Anniversary Special, the longtime executive producer Lorne reflected on, with his dry humor, his half-century with the show.

“Basically, we were bullied and starving.” — Alexis Bledel

Fans got a dose of nostalgia when Gilmore Girls stars Lauren Graham and Bledel reunited onstage as Lorelai and Rory. They joked about how low the budget was for their series, which ran from 2000 to 2007, but has remained a pop culture touchstone. Graham said that if there was a birthday being celebrated at The Drew Carey Show next door, “they would send us their leftover sheet cake.” They also riffed about shooting “Connecticut” scenes in Burbank, Calif., saving all year to have one “one snow episode.” Still, they agreed: They always had the writing.

“I can’t imagine ever doing this again.” — Nate Bargatze

The comedian and first-time host, who kept the show moving but never looked entirely at ease, closed out the night with a self-deprecating line that summed up his experience.