Seth Rogen surely made a grand entrance on the ceremony night of the 2021 Emmys. As he went up on stage to announce the night’s first award, he immediately pointed out that the event did not seem to follow COVID rules set in LA.
Check out his speech below:
“Let me start by saying, there’s way too many of us in this little room. What are we doing? They said this was outdoors. It’s not.”
As a somewhat awkward laugh filled the room, Seth Rogen continued. “They lied to us. We’re in a hermetically-sealed tent right now. I would not have come to this. Why is there a roof? It’s more important that we have three chandeliers than that we make sure we don’t kill Eugene Levy tonight. That is what has been decided.”
He continued jokingly, “This is insane. I went from wiping my groceries to Paul Bettany sneezing in my face. So, that’s a big week! If anyone’s gonna sneeze in my face, Paul, I want it to be you.”
The 2021 Emmy Awards were being held in an “outdoor” venue, on the Event Deck at L.A. Live behind the Microsoft Theater. The venue is actually a tent erected on top of a parking garage. According to the Television Academy, it followed strict COVID protocols since the tent included an enhanced filtration. Tubes come out the tent’s roof, which is part of the air-filtration system.
There were 600 guests in the tent, almost all consisting of nominees. Tables were set at least six feet apart, and everyone had to be vaccinated, plus have a negative COVID test right before entering the event. Despite all these protocols, the venue still looked packed, and no one seemed to be wearing any masks.
Seth Rogen’s name became a trending topic shortly after his quick rant. Most Twitter users agreed with Rogen’s sentiments, commending him for pointing out the seemingly loose regulations for COVID.
me: why are the emmys in such a small room without masks and no ventilation during a pandemic
(30 seconds later)
seth rogen: why are we in such a small room without masks and no ventilation during a pandemic
— lenika 🌱 (@lenikacruz) September 20, 2021
I appreciate Seth Rogen calling out the crowded indoor setting of the Emmys, both because I was thinking it and because it’s now funny to watch the show scramble to course correct the narrative.
— Caroline Siede (@CarolineSiede) September 20, 2021
Less than ten minutes in and Seth Rogen is the first to address the elephant in the room, saying there's FAR too many maskless people indoors at the #Emmys. He says they were told this would be outdoors, but it's not, and that he wouldn't have come had he known that.
— 🎃 Andrew Roth+ 🧟♂️ (@RothsReviews) September 20, 2021
Just a reminder that the celebrities at the Emmy Awards are better than you, your children, and the support staff at the show, because they don't have to wear masks and you do.
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) September 20, 2021
After his speech, host Cedric the Entertainer quickly tried to shut down Rogen and assure viewers about the health protocols in the venue. “Unlike what Seth was talking about, it feels good. We’re all vaxxed. We had to get vaxxed to come here.”
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