The Emmys make a case for laughter to be the new political discourse

The show kicked off with host Stephen Colbert’s much-anticipated monologue. He greeted Trump with a wave directly to the camera, and assured the president that he was “looking forward” to his tweets. While describing the premise of the night’s awards, Colbert slipped in another joke, noting that, “unlike the presidency, the Emmys go to the person who won the popular vote.”

As a professional political comic, Colbert’s focus on Trump was expected, but his surprise guest was not. Colbert brought out former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer — who he later introduced as Melissa McCarthy. Spicer commented on the incredible size of the audience, poking fun at his own exaggerated estimate of the inauguration crowd.

“Wow, that really soothes my fragile ego.” Colbert laughed, “I can see why you’d want one of these guys.”

Later in the show Colbert briefly returned to the bit while commenting on “Wizard of Lies,” which he called “The Sean Spicer Story.”

The Emmys were not the first celebrity confab full of shots at Trump. Many of the nominated late night show hosts, like Colbert and Samantha Bee, often base their shows on the latest developments coming out of the White House. Shows like “House of Cards” and “Westworld” take inspiration from our should-be-fictional political climate. The Video Music Awards (the VMAs) was also credited with aiming major critiques at the president.

Laughing at the president — no matter who it is — can be a great American pastime. Sometimes presidents, like
George W. Bush and
Barack Obama, join in on the fun. When it comes to the Trump administration however, jokes can quickly sour with harsh reactions — from the audience and the president himself. The line distinguishing a satire from a tirade can easily be crossed.

Take for example the moment Lily Tomlin explicitly denounced Trump onstage. Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin, known for their classic movie “Nine to Five,” were on stage to present the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series, and thereby honor, “men who conduct themselves with the utmost dignity.”

Before the trio announced the winner, however, they reminisced on their movie and its message. Tomlin cut in to emphasize that, “In 2017, we still refuse to be controlled by a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot.”

While the crowd of Hollywood elites abruptly burst into applause, it was not exactly a comfortable moment. Twitter was a blast with praise for Tomlin, but there were some that were extremely turned off by the rant. Parton seemed caught off guard by the proclamation, and quickly tried to defuse the speech with a vibrator joke.

Alec Baldwin, who portrays Trump on Saturday Night Live, referenced Trump’s frustration that “The Apprentice” was only nominated for two Emmys and won none.

The Emmy remark was a clever, tongue-in-cheek joke at Trump’s expense, but his next comment surpassed snarky.

“When you put that orange wig on, it’s birth control. Trust me,” Baldwin threw in.

For the most part though, the rest Trump references were quick in passing, and in my opinion, pretty funny.

“We had a whole storyline planned about an impeachment,” Julia Louis Dreyfus said while accepting her Best Actress in a Comedy Series award for “Veep,” “but we abandoned it because we were worried someone else might get to it first.”

In fact, the president was actually thanked in a couple of acceptance speeches. “The Trump White House” was acknowledged by David Mandel, showrunner for “Veep,” in his speech for Best Comedy Series. Donald Glover, in his speech for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, mentioned that he wanted to, “thank Trump for making black people first on the Most Oppressed List.”

It’s pretty obvious that Hollywood is no fan of Trump or any part of his administration. It’s also no secret that the average American is getting really worn out from the constant political talk and references that are literally everywhere nowadays. But if the comedians can manage to ride this fine line between critical and funny, it might just keep America sane.

They say humor is the best medicine, and while I doubt enjoying a self-deprecating Sean Spicer is going to magically heal the polarized reality we live in — at least we can stop analyzing, debating, and fighting long enough for a couple of laughs.

Gabriella Muñoz is a commentary desk intern with the Washington Examiner and a student at Georgetown University.

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