Why Fans Are Slamming Celebrities At The 2021 Emmys
It wouldn't be an award show if we didn't obsess over what our favorite celebrities decided to stomp the red carpet in — but, at the 2021 Emmys, it would appear that people are focusing more on what wasn't worn, rather than what was.
It's no secret that people everywhere are decidedly over the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent life changes it has led to, from social distancing and wearing masks to travel bans and an increase in remote work, to name a few (via Fortune). The COVID-19 pandemic has also had a huge effect on the way award shows are held, with 2020 and 2021 relying on some pretty unique ways of styling award shows in order to convey some sense of normalcy (via IndieWire).
But, at this year's Emmys, it would seem that the celebrities who attended were desperate to get back to business as usual — which is probably why there wasn't a mask in sight.
Seth Rogen had lots to say about the Emmys safety precautions
Fans are slamming the celebrities who attended the Emmys on Sept. 19, 2021, for not following proper COVID-19 protocols by wearing masks. Indeed, while nearly 55% of America is vaccinated (via Becker's Hospital Review), COVID cases are still rising due to the highly contagious Delta variant. As a result, many states are beginning to bring back COVID safety mandates, requiring masks indoors, even for vaccinated folks.
But, according to The New York Post, the 2021 Emmys was presented as some sort of coronavirus-free zone with celebrities who appeared to believe they were exempt from the pandemic. Despite a serious lack of masks, attendees of the award show didn't avoid discussing the subject of COVID. Comedian Seth Rogen leaned into the elephant-in-the-room of having a highly populated event in the midst of a pandemic. "They said this was outdoors. It's not. They lied to us. We're in a hermetically sealed tent right now. I would not have come to this," Rogen deadpanned to the audience in a joking — yet not joking — kind of way. "There is way too many of us in this little room," he added (via USA Today).
Here's what fans said about the lack of masks at the event
Furthermore, Emmys host Cedric the Entertainer tackled the subject of the pandemic right away in his opening monologue with a few jokes. "We had to vaxx to come here," he said. "I got vaxxed. I did not have a reaction like Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend. I got Pfizer because I'm bougie. Pfizer, that's the Neiman Marcus of vaccines, Moderna, that's Macy's. Johnson & Johnson, that's TJ Maxx," he joked while on stage, per The New York Post.
Fans slammed the celebrities at the event and the Emmys as a whole for organizing a seemingly unsafe event. One user took to Twitter to write, "No Masks at the #Emmys because rules are for the little people," sharing a screenshot showing an entire room full of celebrities packed together in a small space, none of whom were wearing masks. Another person asked, "Why did none of the celebrities at the Emmys have to wear masks indoors but all kids ages two and older have to wear them in preschool and school in Los Angeles?"