The annual Emmy’s show made a comeback this year after last year’s show was canceled due to COVID-19. This year, the 73rd annual Emmy Awards were hosted in Los Angeles, California on Sunday, Sep. 19.
Though many were happy about the award show’s comeback to celebrate the best in television, there was a lot of backlash because none of the celebrities were wearing masks or socially distancing. The Television Academy stated that the annual event had a limited in-person audience made up of nominees and their guests and the participants were asked to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19.
Seth Rogen, the presenter of one of the awards, took some time to talk about how the award show had a lack of COVID-19 regulations before he presented. He stated, “They said this was outdoors. It’s not. They lied to us. We’re in a hermetically sealed tent right now. I would not have come to this.”
What angered a lot of people, though, was L.A County (which has strict mask rules) officials saying that “exceptions are made for film, television & music productions” regarding mask mandates. Viewers expressed their irritation with the lack of COVID regulations for celebrities, while the regulations are still in effect for regular people. People took it to Twitter to criticize how Hollywood celebrities were careless about the regulations. By not wearing a mask or socially distancing themselves, the guests of the shows were said to be promoting the idea that the pandemic is over, or that it no longer matters.
The debate quickly turned political after people started mentioning how this was ultimately a fight of hierarchy. Whereas the staff, such as the photographers, were wearing masks; the nominees were not. David Marcus, an American entrepreneur, argued that the pandemic has started a “deeply un-American” caste system. He believes that it is not fair, or equal, for the celebrities to be mask-less in the show. People mentioned how it is insensible that even kids have to wear a mask to school, given that they are much less prone to the coronavirus, compared to adults. Many agreed that as masks are more about protecting others, that it was selfish for the attendees to not wear one–especially at a crowded site like the Emmys.
The heavy criticism of the lack of regulations led some people to look further into Emmy’s attendance policies. The Emmys website stated that all attendees were required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test 48 hours prior to the show. They also provided the attendees with potential resources to obtain the test within the required time period. The Emmy’s seemingly “reached out to Public Health to share their safety protocols,” before the show and planned the event precisely for it to be safe and responsible. Learning that the Emmys did in fact have certain regulations led some people to think that this was a responsible gathering after all, while others continued to criticize the event and the celebrities for not taking every precaution, such as wearing masks, against the virus.
Whichever side you agree with, it is important to reinforce the importance of COVID-19 and do sufficient research before holding people accountable. It’s, of course, inevitable that many social events will resume in person, as we all have learned how to live with the virus by taking precautions.
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