Former US president Barack Obama wins an Emmy Award for best narrator
John Mulaney and Carol Burnett among other winners on night two of the awards function
Barack Obama won his second Emmy, John Mulaney won his third, and Carol Burnett took her seventh Sunday on night two of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Obama won the Emmy for best narrator for his Netflix documentary series, ‘Working: What We Do All Day,’ repeating in a category he previously won for narrating a Netflix series on national parks. He also has two Grammys for his voice work on the audiobooks of his two memoirs.
The former president, who was not at the ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, beat fellow nominees Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Mahershala Ali and Pedro Pascal in what was by far the most star-studded category at the Creative Arts Emmys, a two-night award-show marathon that mostly honours less-than-famous artistes, crew members and crafts people in television.
Mulaney won his Emmy for writing on his Netflix standup special, “Baby J,” in which his work took a darker turn and dealt with his addiction and recovery.
“I can’t wait to show this award to our son for a special he will never, ever be allowed to watch,” Mulaney told wife Olivia Munn, with whom he has a two-year-old, as he accepted the award.
He previously won Emmys for another standup special and for his writing on ‘Saturday Night Live.’
The 90-year-old Burnett took the stage to accept the last award of the weekend when NBC’s ‘Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love,’ won best prerecorded variety special.
The comic legend won the first of her seven Emmys in 1961 and took her most recent one in 1997.
The Creative Arts Emmys, which began on Saturday and ended Sunday, are a precursor to the main Emmy ceremony on January 15 with “black-ish” star Anthony Anderson as host. Just like the main telecast, the Creative Arts Emmys arrive after a four-month delay because of Hollywood’s writers and actors strikes.
Sunday’s night two, which focused largely on reality shows and other unscripted TV, was overshadowed by the Golden Globe Awards, taking place simultaneously about 16km away in Beverly Hills.
Other winners included Keke Palmer, who took best game show host for ‘Password.’ ‘I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson’ was named best short form comedy, drama or variety series; ‘Queer Eye’ was named best structured reality show; and ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ won for best unstructured reality show.
Saturday night’s winners included Ed Sheeran, who won his first Emmy for co-writing the song ‘A Beautiful Game’ for ‘Ted Lasso’ on Apple TV+.
TV veterans Judith Light and Nick Offerman each won their first Emmy on Saturday for guest roles. Offerman won his for an episode of ‘The Last of Us,’ which took eight Creative Arts Emmys and is a favourite to win several more at the January 15 main ceremony.