The Funniest Emmys Joke Wasn’t Scripted

Most of the time, being subjected to live under the crushing rule of a patriarchal society isn’t funny. I don’t care for the wage gap and the assumptions that I can’t make my own decisions about my uterus. Also not a big fan of the systemic sexism that screws you harder depending on the intersections of your identity. But sometimes, living in a man’s world does come with comedic relief. 

At the 77th Emmys, that relief wasn’t provided by any of the written jokes. (Sorry Nate.) Instead, the best joke came when Elizabeth Banks presented the award for Directing for A Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Banks highlighted that the category was phenomenal for one reason: Of the nominees, five of the six were women. For those not aware of the history of directing awards at major ceremonies like the Emmys, Oscars, and Golden Globes, it’s dismal. The history of women winning directing awards at the Emmys is so brief it can be covered in a five paragraph blog post on the Television Academy’s website. 

This year, the nominees in the category were:

• Philip Barantini, Adolescence
• Shannon Murphy, Dying for Sex
• Helen Shaver, The Penguin
• Jennifer Getzinger, The Penguin
• Nicole Kassell, Sirens
• Lesli Linka Glatter, Zero Day

Now for the punchline: Barantini won. The only man nominated in a category that had five-to-one odds of a woman winning won. When Baranitini’s name was called, I literally guffawed. It’s just too good. I mean, it’s depressing on a base level. Even when women have the odds stacked in our favor, we still manage to come out empty handed. But it’s funny too. 

The joke works on a deeper level when you consider what Barantini won for. He directed the excellent, gut-wrenching show Adolescence. It follows the story of a 13-year-old boy radicalized by incels who then murders a classmate. It’s a truly fantastic show, and grows timelier by the day. But the subject matter — a boy becoming violent after being exposed to sexist rhetoric — makes the five women losing the award a bit more poignant. 

Sexism. We see it, we hear it, we award the stories told about it as long as they’re directed by men.