This year’s Emmys have been slammed by conservative viewers who were left fuming by the failure to pay tribute to Charlie Kirk following his death on Wednesday.
The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards took place at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday night to honour the best and brightest from the world of television from the past year.
Apple’s The Studio and Severance, as well as Netflix’s Adolescence, emerged as the big winners on the night with comedian Nate Bargatze overseeing proceedings.
Occurring less than a week after Mr Kirk’s death, neither Mr Bargatze nor any of the show’s attendees or award winners used their platform to address the shooting or reference the political climate in the United States at the moment.
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GETTYThis may not have come as a surprise to some after Mr Bargatze confirmed prior to the show that he would be avoiding political jokes and themes during his stint as host.
However, the awards were far from apolitical. Hacks star Hannah Einbinder used her award win to yell “f*** ICE” and “free Palestine”, while guest presenter Bryan Cranston couldn’t resist poking fun at President Donald Trump.
There was also an In Memoriam section of the show to honour those from the entertainment industry who’ve died over the past 12 months.
Mr Kirk was understandably not included in the In Memoriam, given it was exclusively for TV creatives, but the fact that the show had dipped into political themes during its three-hour runtime left many feeling a mention would’ve been suitable.
Taking to X, Mr Kirk’s fans blasted the ceremony and its attendees for failing to address such a prominent political voice’s death.
“The #Emmys are now an hour and a half through without one mention of the Charlie Kirk assassination,” one X user fumed. “Not a moment of silence or anything for a fellow human who was gunned down for having opinions. Shocked, I am not. The left is a disease.”
A second similarly raged: “#Emmys if someone from your side was assassinated, you’d be talking about it incessantly..and wearing a ribbon.
“Hollywood is truly evil. SAY HIS NAME!!! CHARLIE KIRK he was assassinated for speaking the truth, respectfully. he died because of all your hateful rhetoric.”
One of Charlie Kirk’s fans hits out at Emmys
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X
A third concurred: “So they decided to be non-political this year… is why NO Moment of Silence for Charlie Kirk at the #Emmys. What a joke Hollywood has become. I’m sure ratings will be at the lowest levels again… find out tomorrow.”
Others predicted the absence of a tribute from the get-go. “Watch absolutely no one at the Emmys mention Charlie Kirk #CharlieKirk #Emmys,” a fourth fan tipped at the start of proceedings.
“In memoriam, the #Emmys had no mention of Charlie Kirk. Yeah, he’s not an actor, but he was an activist and had a TV presence—and he was just assassinated 5 days ago. Can’t hate these people enough!” a fifth slammed.
And another pointed out: “I know no one that follows me is watching this #Emmys s**t show but here’s an updated count on how many times Charlie Kirk has been mentioned or honored. 2:37 hours in: 0.” (sic)
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GETTY
Mr Kirk was shot dead on Wednesday with a single gunshot wound to the neck. Suspect Tyler Robinson, 22, was taken into custody over 30 hours after the shooting.
The 31-year-old was speaking at Utah Valley University at an open-air event held by Turning Point USA, the organisation he co-founded.
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GETTYThe event was part of the American Comeback Tour, which was a speaking engagement that took him to several college campuses throughout the US.
Mr Robinson remains in custody but is believed to “not be cooperating” with law enforcement.