The Emmys Censored The Word ‘WAP,’ And Viewers Are Puzzled And Delighted

Sunday’s Emmys were looser than usual (more award shows should involve things being set on fire), but it is with a heavy heart that I must announce that the censors are it again. While presenting the award for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series, Orange Is the New Black‘s Laverne Cox said, “I am living proof of the American dream that anyone in this country can lose the Emmy four years in the same category and yet somehow end up on this stage presenting an award to someone who probably didn’t…” That’s when her mic cut out, leaving viewers to wonder what was bleeped out. It turns out, it was “effing.” Not “f*cking,” but “effing,” as in, “…presenting an award to someone who probably didn’t effing vote for me.” That somehow wasn’t the silliest bleep of the evening.

Anthony Anderson was one of the few famous faces (along with Jason Bateman) to join host Jimmy Kimmel at the Staples Center, where he discussed all the Black people who were nominated for an Emmy this year. “These Emmys would have been NBA All-Star weekend and Wakanda, all wrapped in one. This was supposed to be the Blackest Emmys ever,” the black-ish star said. “These Emmys would have been so Black, it would have been ‘hot sauce in your purse’ Black. It would have been ‘Howard University homecoming’ Black. It would have been ‘you fit the description’ Black. We would have had speeches quoting our great poets like Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Cardi B…”

The censor, who is not a “certified freak”, was ready (if a half-second late):

Anderson went on to say that there would have been speeches quoting Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and even Cardi B. “‘WAP,’ Jimmy,” Anderson said, repeating “WAP” several times and causing a gap in the audio [that was] ABC censoring Anderson.

“WAP,” the mega-hit from Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, stands for “wet ass p*ssy,” and although Anderson never actually said any of those words, the mere mention of the acronyms was enough to turn ABC into Helen Lovejoy. Maybe it was for the best, though. “WAP” is not something anyone should have to explain to their innocent parents.