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Dubai: Two first-time Emmy winners came out of the same ceremony on Saturday night, and neither of them is a television actor.
Bad Bunny and Sabrina Carpenter both collected their first Emmy Awards at the opening night of the Creative Arts Emmys in Los Angeles, an event that runs a week ahead of the main ceremony and hands out most of the technical and variety prizes. One of those wins broke a record that had stood since 2022.
The Creative Arts Emmys are the less glamorous half of Emmy season. They run over two nights at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, cover 101 categories, and do not air live. Saturday’s ceremony leaned towards unscripted programming. Tonight’s second night covers the scripted categories.
The main Primetime Emmys follow on Monday 14 September, with Mariska Hargitay hosting on NBC.
Seven Emmys for a halftime show
The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny took seven awards on the night, more than any Super Bowl halftime performance has ever won.
The previous record was three, set by the 2022 show featuring Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent. Bad Bunny’s show more than doubled it.
The headline prize was Outstanding Variety Special (Live), which he won in two capacities, as lead performer and as a producer. It is only the second time a halftime show has taken that award. The remaining six were technical, covering production design, music direction, choreography and sound mixing among others. Miguel Gandelman won for music direction.
The Super Bowl LX show was the first halftime performance headlined by a Latino solo artist, and it was delivered almost entirely in Spanish. With Saturday’s win, it became the first Spanish-language programme to take Outstanding Variety Special (Live).
The performance was not universally welcomed when it aired. Donald Trump publicly criticised it at the time, describing it as a slap in the face to America. The Television Academy’s verdict landed somewhat differently.
Shawn Carter, better known as Jay-Z, along with Desiree Perez and Jesse Collins, won as executive producers, having done the same for the 2022 show.
Halfway to an EGOT
Carpenter’s win came in a different category and for a very different project.
She took Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) for The Muppet Show, the Disney+ revival of Jim Henson’s variety format, on which she served as both executive producer and performer. Alex Timbers directed.
It is her first Emmy. She already holds two Grammys, won last year for Best Pop Solo Performance for Espresso and Best Pop Vocal Album for Short n’ Sweet. Adding an Emmy puts her exactly halfway to an EGOT. Only an Oscar and a Tony remain.
She was not at the ceremony to accept it.
The Muppet Show had a strong night regardless, converting four of its six nominations. Alongside the top variety prize it picked up writing, picture editing and production design. Seth Rogen collected his fifth career Emmy as an executive producer on the project.
The rest of the night
Beyond the two debut winners, the tallies looked like this.
The Traitors finished with six wins. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert took five in what is its final season. Love on the Spectrum managed three, while Mariska Hargitay’s documentary My Mom Jayne and Ocean with David Attenborough took two apiece.
Saturday also brought Saturday Night Live its 114th Emmy, which extends a record no other programme is close to.
What’s left
Tonight’s second night handles the scripted craft categories and the guest acting prizes. The Television Academy is also presenting its first ever Legacy Award, going to I Love Lucy.
Heading into the main ceremony, The Pitt leads the field with 25 nominations in total and 12 in the major categories. Hacks topped the Creative Arts nominations with 17.
