Emmys 2024 LIVE updates: Succession, The Last of Us lead nominations with The Bear also in for a big night

Beef is on a role, with Steven Yeun winning lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie. This adds to its wins in the writing and directing categories.

“Judgment and shame is a lonely place but compassion and grace is where we can all meet,” he said to the enthusiasm of the audience.

Beef’s Steven Yeun accepts the award for outstanding lead actor in a limited series. Credit: AP

Straight off the back of Yeun’s win, co-star Ali Wong scooped the win for best lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie.

“I wouldn’t be standing here without my amazing parents, my mother and also my father, who I so wish was alive to share this moment with me … He taught me the value of failure,” Wong said between tears.

Fresh off her Golden Globes win, Ali Wong also won an Emmy for her role in Beef. Credit: AP

She beat out Riley Keough, who starred in Daisy Jones & the Six, another star that was a front contender for the gong.

And you know what they say: all good things come in three. Completing its clean sweep, Beef then received the award for best limited or anthology series. These awards marked Beef’s fifth win of the day so far, which can only mean good things for the Netflix limited series at the upcoming Academy Awards. It is now on par with The Bear, which has also won five awards so far.

Breaking news: Rocket Man is officially an EGOT!

Winning the Emmy for best live variety special secured Sir Elton John the highly sought-after title, which signifies he has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.

At 76, Sir Elton John has become the 19th person win an EGOT. Credit: AP

Before the groundbreaking victory, iconic comedy duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler had everyone chuckling with an SNL newsroom bit.

“We’ve reached the stage in life where we will only present awards when sitting down,” Fey quipped in her trademark dry manner.

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler behind the desk.Credit: AP

The team behind Elton John: Farewell From Dodger Stadium took to the stage to receive the gong – one of three of the special’s nominations of the evening.

“I am not Elton John,” the show’s producer said on behalf of John. “Sadly, he had a knee op, but he’s absolutely fine. He wants to send his love … we knew this show would be historic because it would be Elton’s last show on tour … we didn’t know it would be historic because it would win a man – a man who made the soundtrack to our lives – an EGOT.”

It beat other live specials like The Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Starring Rihanna, The Oscars.

Family media mogul drama Succession has now won three awards after triumphing in the writing and directing drama categories.

Creator Jesse Armstrong took to the stage to accept the award for outstanding writing for a drama series and, yes, name-checked real-life media mogul Rupert Murdoch on whom Logan Roy was based.

Armstrong won for the famous Connor’s Wedding episode of the drama, which follows the Roy family and Waystar employees in the hours after Logan Roy’s sudden death.

“I want to say thank you to the wider creative community in the US,” Armstrong said.

Jon Hamm presents the award for outstanding writing to Jesse Armstrong for Succession.Credit: AP

“I come from the UK. And our show is about some things that are close to the centre of American life and politics, and we’ve always been met with generosity and in good faith, and that’s part of America’s tradition of being very welcoming to outsiders.

“And for some reason, the name of Australian-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch comes to mind.

“I can’t speak for him, but I’m very grateful for the generosity I’ve been shown working in this country.”

Producer Mark Mylod won the award for outstanding directing for a drama series for Succession. Matthew Macfadyen earlier won the best supporting actor prize for his turn as Tom Wambsgans.

Three big dramas – road rage comedy-drama Beef, divorce drama Fleishman Is In Trouble and the self-explanatory Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story – duked it out for the awards for limited, anthology series or movie.

In the end, Beef won both for writing and directing.

Creator Lee Sung Jin accepted both awards.

Writer, creator, showrunner, and executive producer of the highly acclaimed Beef, Lee Sung Jin won two Emmys in quick succession. Credit: AP

“We wrote this over Zoom, which is the healthiest way to communicate,” Sung Jin said.

He was quick to thank cinematographer Larkin Seiple and production designer Grace Yun.

“They are the DNA of the show and really should have been nominated,” he said.

Earlier, Sung Jin gave a charming speech when he won the directing award, telling a story about having to deposit a single dollar bill into his account when he first moved to LA when times were tough.

As he did so, captions flashed up of all the names he wished to thank. I feel this is an innovation ceremony-shortening innovation we can all get behind.

Props for creativity because the winner of the best supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie rhymed his entire acceptance speech.

Paul Walter Hauser, who won for his role in Apple TV’s thriller Black Bird, accepted his first Emmy win in serious style, paying tribute to his late co-star Ray Liotta, who died in 2022.

Paul Walter Hauser got creative with his acceptance speech.Credit: AP

As cool as that was, let’s be honest – the presenters almost overshadowed the actual award.

Justin Chambers, Katherine Heigl, Ellen Pompeo, James Pickens Jr and Chandra Wilson took to the stage in a much-needed Grey’s Anatomy reunion.

Grey’s Anatomy stars Chandra Wilson, Justin Chambers, Ellen Pompeo, Katherine Heigl, and James Pickens Jr were reunited on stage.Credit: AP

What a treat to see them all together again, though I’m sure we were all a little worried they’d suddenly kill off one of the characters on-stage (a mainstay of the long-running medical drama).

“My wife loves your show,” Hauser said of the Grey’s Anatomy team. “My fellow nominees – that’s a talent pool if I ever saw one … To the Rolex, Ray Liotta, we’re down here wearing Fossils. Thank you, God, for this life, you helped me suck out the marrow.”

Speaking backstage, The Bear star Jeremy Allen White acknowledged the series was on an awards season roll but said the creators and cast had no idea it would become such a monstrous hit.

“[The show’s creator] Chris Storer and I would go on these walks before we filmed the pilot, we would have coffee and talk, and we thought that if the service industry and the culinary world took notice, then we’d done something right,” White said. “I think we’ve all been very surprised and blown away by the reach.”

Jeremy Allen White, winner of the award for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series for “The Bear”.Credit: AP Photo/Ashley Landis

The win also crowns an extraordinary week in which The Bear swept both the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice awards. “I am so proud of the show, and I am so excited for Ayo and Ebon, to see them win and hear them speak. For me tonight, that was the most fun I have had,” White said.

White’s co-stars Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach have already won tonight for outstanding supporting actress and actor in a comedy.

“I say it every time. I love the show. I feel so lucky,” White said.

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah was crowned the best talk series, beating out some other seriously hard-hitting talk show hosts, such as Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Myers, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

The crew of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – a banger comedy show that has been going strong for 16 seasons and counting now – joined each other on stage to present the award, a category that may not be quite as pertinent to Aussie audiences, but is still hot considering the massive names behind it.

Trevor Noah and his team for “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” accepting the Emmy award for outstanding variety talk series.Credit: AP

“I told you we would beat John Oliver if he wasn’t in our category. We did it! We got rid of John Oliver!” Noah joked while holding his trophy up with pride.

“This story has been so long, so crazy, so wonderful … and Jon Stewart, thank you for calling me and asking me to join you on this crazy journey.”

It is a worthy win, especially considering Noah has left his beloved talk show amid a relative contraction for late-night television.

My one question: where are all the women?

Due to the sheer number of categories, the Emmys is split into two separate events: the Primetime Emmys and the slightly smaller-scale Creative Arts Emmys. The latter took place in the US on January 6 and 7 – the same weekend as the Golden Globes.

At the event, former US president Barack Obama took home his second-ever Emmy for his narration in the Netflix documentary, Working: What We Do All Day. He beat the likes of Morgan Freeman and Angela Bassett.

Carol Burnett won best prerecorded variety special at the Creative Arts Emmys earlier this month. Credit: AP

Meanwhile, comedian John Mulaney won his third Emmy for his writing on the comedy special Baby J, and Carol Burnett won her ninth, taking the trophy for best prerecorded variety special (Carol Burnett: 90 Year of Laughter + Love).

Australian director Kim Gehrig won the award for best commercial alongside the rest of her team, for their work on the Apple commercial The Greatest.

Elsewhere, Keke Palmer scooped the best game show category for Password, and Welcome to Wrexham was honoured as the best unstructured reality show. Ed Sheeran also won his first Emmy for co-writing the song A Beautiful Game in Ted Lasso.

Finally, Nick Offerman won his first Emmy for his guest role on The Last of Us, an episode that claimed eight Creative Arts Emmys throughout the weekend.

Some of these productions and stars are up for more awards today.