Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri win early Emmy trophies

Quinta Brunson from “Abbott Elementary” wins the award for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California, US, Jan. 15, 2024. Image: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

LOS ANGELES—”The Bear” star Ayo Edebiri and Quinta Brunson of “Abbott Elementary” scored some of the early awards at the Emmys on Monday as Hollywood celebrated the best of television.

Edebiri won best supporting actress for her role as a chef trying to help open a fine-dining restaurant on dramedy “The Bear.”

Holding her trophy on stage, Edebiri thanked her family for “letting me feel beautiful and Black and proud of all of that.”

Brunson was named best actress in a comedy for playing an optimistic teacher on “Abbott,” a show she created. She shed tears as she took the stage and was handed the honor by comedy legend Carol Burnett.

“I don’t know why I’m so emotional. I think it’s the Carol Burnett of it all,” Brunson said. “I’m so happy to be able to live my dream.”

The top TV honors were broadcast live on the Fox broadcast network. The show was postponed from September because of labor disputes last year.

Organizers were using this year’s milestone—the 75th Emmys—to honor classic television shows with cast reunions and other moments.

Host Anthony Anderson opened the show with a choir singing theme songs from shows such as “Good Times” and “The Facts of Life.” Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker joined to play the drum solo from “In the Air Tonight,” a song that aired during a pivotal moment in 1980s hit “Miami Vice.”

Heading into the ceremony, HBO’s media dynasty drama “Succession” led all nominees with 27 nods for its fourth and final season, the one that resolved the question of who would win the battle to control a global business empire.

Nearly two-thirds of the Emmy-nominated shows came from streaming platforms, their highest share ever, according to data from Nielsen’s Gracenote.

“Succession” stars Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook were among the actors vying for trophies, as well as “The Bear” duo of Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri, and Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey from “The Last of Us.”

The awards ceremony was moved to Monday, which coincided with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in the United States as well as the Iowa caucuses, the kickoff to the US presidential election.

Anderson, who previously starred on the show “Black-ish,” said the broadcast was being run by an all African-American production team and emcee for the first time. AP/ra