I Genuinely Can’t Watch The Emmy Awards The Same Way After Learning These 11 Behind-The-Scenes Facts
1.
During the first ever Emmys ceremony in 1949, only six awards were given. The first Emmy Award was awarded to a 20-year-old ventriloquist. Shirley Dinsdale and her puppet, Judy Splinters, received the award for Outstanding Television Personality.
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The other awards given out were The Station Award for Outstanding Overall Achievement, the Technical award, The Best Film Made for Television, Most Popular Television Program, and a special award for Louis McManus, who designed the Emmy statuette.
2.
In fact, tickets to the first awards ceremony only cost $5 per person.
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3.
Nowadays, tickets to the ceremony aren’t sold to the public, but one of the perks of being a Chase Sapphire cardmember are exclusive Emmys packages. The “Ultimate Weekend” package includes attending the Emmy Awards rehearsal, the live show, the nominee reception, and the Governors Awards. This package costs $3,500 or 350,000 credit card points.
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Blogger Johnny Jet shared his experience of attending the ceremony in 2017.
4.
A single Emmy statuette costs about $400 and takes about five and a half hours to be made. It’s made of copper, nickel, silver, and gold and weighs six pounds, twelve ounces.
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While the number of awards doesn’t usually change each year, the Academy will order extras just in case there are multiple winners. Then, any unused statuettes will be put toward the next year’s ceremony.
5.
In fact, each winning entry only receives one free award. If extra statuettes are desired, like for members of a large writing team, winners must pay for each additional award.
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6.
If a recipient ever has the intention to sell or auction their statuette, they’re obligated to return it to the Academy.
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7.
Lorne Michaels holds the record for the most Emmy nominations for an individual. He currently has 102 nominations and 21 wins.
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8.
Meanwhile, Saturday Night Live holds the record for the most nominated televised program. It currently has earned 314 nominations and 84 wins.
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9.
Of all the actors nominated for Emmys, Kelsey Grammer is the only actor to have been nominated for his portrayal of the same character on three different series. The character Dr. Frasier Crane exists on Cheers, Frasier, and Wings, and Kelsey was nominated for his work on all three.
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10.
Merritt Wever gave one of the shortest Emmy speeches ever after she won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Nurse Jackie. Her 11-word speech was literally, “Thanks so much. Thank you so much. I gotta go. Bye.”
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11.
Finally, in 1985, Betty Thomas won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on Hill Street Blues, but a man appeared on stage and accepted the award before her. Betty eventually got her Emmy and the man later received a fine of $175 for the stunt.
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Barry Bremen, also known as The Great Imposter, was the man who attempted to steal Betty’s award.
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