Conan O’Brien Appeared To Randomly Troll A Television Academy Exec Who Was Giving A Speech At The Emmys

The Emmys were back to being in-person after last year’s mostly virtual show, and things couldn’t help but be a bit awkward. There was Rita Wilson rapping. There were some dicey pre-taped comedy bits. But some of the night’s highlights, like Jason Sudeikis roasting Lorne Michaels, were purely spontaneous. One of the most out-of-nowhere moments came courtesy Conan O’Brien, who decided upon a random way to greet the night’s most obscure guest.

That person was Frank Scherma, chairman and CEO of the Television Academy. He was there to sing the praises of, well, television, but before he could even get a word out he was distracted by O’Brien. As the crowd applauded him to the stage, the longtime late night host’s voice cracked through the din. He was shouting in loud celebration, and he continued to do so even as Scherma’s speech began. Eventually O’Brien quieted down, but only so he could stand firmly in place, giving Scherma a mock-salute.

— av clark (@annevclark) September 20, 2021

It’s not entirely clear what O’Brien was doing, partly because the cameras almost didn’t show him. Was he being faux-disrespectful Was it mere randomness Whatever it was, people embraced the chaos.

— Ringer Dish (@RingerDish) September 20, 2021