LOS ANGELES — There will be no host on this year's Primetime Emmy telecast, Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier confirmed on Wednesday morning during the network's portion of the Television Critics Association press tour.
Variety first reported in June that the network, producers and Television Academy were leaning toward going host-less with this year's ceremony. And such a move seemed increasingly likely as the Emmys drew closer without a host announcement. With just a month and a half to go before the Sept. 22 event, securing a host at this late date would have been unlikely (though not impossible).
But it has been apparent that Fox is looking to shake up this year's telecast, which included the unique decision to pair two different producers together to oversee the show: Don Mischer Productions and Done+Dusted. Their mandate: Team up to give the Emmys a makeover.
Going without a host is part of that. It's the first time the Emmy Awards has been host-less since 2003, when the show also aired on Fox. Without one, that gives the producers time to focus on other elements — including the new series joining the race for the first time, as well as the several iconic shows ending their run this year. In particular, it's the swan song for HBO's Emmy front-runner "Game of Thrones," which made history in 2019 with 32 nominations, the most ever in a single year for any series.
Without a host, there's also breathing room to showcase all of the awards and industry players being honored. With approximately 27 categories handed out during the ceremony, it's usually a tight fit at the Emmys.
"Our job is to assess how to elevate the program in the year we're lucky enough to broadcast it," Collier said. "What's interesting to me this year is how many shows we're saying goodbye to. You have to look at the trade-off. If you have a host and an opening number, that's 15-20 minutes that you don't have to salute the shows."