The Emmys had to do things a bit differently last year. The pandemic was in full swing, vaccines were still a ways away, and everyone had to stay home, accepting awards in their basements while wearing jammies (or kimonos). The show was back to in-person this year, and right away things seemed….weird. Few could have expected, for instance, to ever see Rita Wilson rapping.
The show kicked off with a group musical number, in which they effectively reflected on how much television everyone watched in lockdown. Led by host Cedric the Entertainer and a dancer wearing a TV for a head, members of the crowd stood up to rap about loving their television sets over the beat to “Just a Friend,” the classic song by the late rapper Biz Markie. LL Cool J did a verse. So did Dave’s Lil Dicky. As did, improbably, for some reason, Rita Wilson.
— Carrie Courogen (@carriecourogen) September 20, 2021
It was an absurdly Mad Libs-y moment, and to some, it seemed like a bad omen.