The 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday featured several onstage and red carpet political statements — including calls to "free Palestine," denouncements of U.S. immigration enforcement and a push to boycott Israeli film companies — while the ceremony did not mention the Sept. 10 killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Performers and attendees at the show at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles used acceptance speeches and interviews to voice positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict and U.S. immigration policy. Hacks actor Hannah Einbinder, after winning the award for best supporting actress in a comedy series, closed her remarks by saying, "Finally, go birds, f**k ICE and free Palestine — thank you!" Javier Bardem, on the red carpet, urged support for a "Free Palestine" movement and described efforts by entertainment workers to boycott Israeli film companies and press for commercial and diplomatic measures against Israel. Other attendees displayed political messages: comic Megan Stalter carried a purse bearing the words "Cease Fire!" and told Variety that using one's platform to press for peace was essential.
Bardem, an Academy Award-winning actor, told reporters that he was denouncing what he described as genocide in Gaza and referenced the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), which he said had studied the conflict and declared it a genocide. He said he and others were joining an industry organizing effort called Film Workers for Palestine and urged sanctions and a commercial and diplomatic blockade targeting film companies and institutions the group views as complicit. Bardem added that the targets, he said, were organizations rather than individuals.
The red carpet conversation followed a pledge signed earlier in the month by more than 1,800 entertainment industry workers to boycott working with Israeli film companies. The pledge and the public statements at the Emmys come ahead of the two-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on an Israeli music festival, an event that helped sharpen international attention on the conflict.
The awards broadcast also included a topical joke and an acceptance speech with a political undertone in the late-night arena. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver accepted the Emmy for best writing for a variety series, and senior writer Daniel O’Brien said in his acceptance remarks, "We share this category — we are honored to share it with all writers of late night political comedy while that is still a type of show that's allowed to exist." The comment came months after the firing of Stephen Colbert from his late-night show on CBS, an action some observers have linked to broader corporate changes following CBS and Paramount’s merger.
While multiple attendees voiced political positions, viewers on social media noted the absence of any moment of silence or reference to Charlie Kirk, the conservative commentator and founder of Turning Point USA, who was fatally shot while speaking on a Utah college campus on Sept. 10. Some users expressed anger that the ceremony made no mention of Kirk and contrasted that omission with prior Emmys ceremonies that referenced other national tragedies. One social media post cited by viewers read, "Charlie Kirk was not mentioned once at the Emmy awards. George Floyd was mentioned numerous times in previous Emmy awards shows. Absolutely disgusting." Another user mocked the expectation that Hollywood would offer a tribute, writing sarcastically about a nonexistent tribute.
Representatives for the Television Academy and the Emmys broadcast did not immediately issue statements explaining programming decisions or whether any tributes were considered. Organizers often balance awards segments, performances and speeches within a tightly timed live broadcast.
The evening showcased winners and red carpet moments typical of the Emmys, but political commentary threaded through the night, reflecting broader industry debates about cultural and geopolitical responsibilities. Some participants framed their remarks as humanitarian appeals or labor and industry organizing, while critics argued that celebrity political interventions can overshadow other aspects of the ceremony.
The 2025 Emmys followed a summer in which Hollywood discussions about speech, platforming and corporate restructuring intensified. High-profile personnel changes at networks and studios, ongoing labor organizing in the industry and international conflicts have contributed to an environment in which awards shows increasingly become venues for political expression.
As Emmy winners continue to use televised platforms, the decisions by producers about what to include or omit in live broadcasts remain a point of public scrutiny. The absence of a reference to Kirk’s killing and the presence of outspoken endorsements for Palestine and condemnations of ICE illustrate the competing pressures facing entertainment events that seek to blend celebration of craft with moments of political expression.