Dan & Eugene Levy’s 2024 Emmys Monologue Took A Jab At The Bear

For dedicated television viewers, the Emmy Awards celebrate the end of easy-breezy summertime shows and a return to prestige drama and weekly sitcoms. The Sept. 15 ceremony, which honored shows from 2023, began with an opening monologue by the evening’s hosts, Dan and Eugene Levy.

The hosts delighted viewers with their signature brand of father-son humor. They started by tempering expectations, acknowledging that they aren’t traditional stand-up hosts.

“If it goes well tonight, my name is pronounced Le-vy, not Lee-vy,” Dan said. Eugene then added, “And if things go south, my name is pronounced Martin Short,” poking fun at his longtime bestie and fellow alum of the Canadian comedy scene, who currently stars in Only Murders In The Building.

Unsurprisingly, their monologue was a hit, and they delivered a few kindhearted jabs along the way.

A Recurring Theme About The Bear

The Levys teased several shows that were up for Emmys. Eugene noted that The Bear’s 23 nominations made it the most-nominated comedy in history. “I love the show,” he said. “And I know some of you might be expecting us to make a joke about whether The Bear is really a comedy. But in the true spirit of The Bear, we will not be making any jokes.”

Many a think piece has been written about whether the Hulu series can or should call itself a comedy at all. The show’s stars even addressed the hot topic on the red carpet.

“I think it’s a dramedy, right?” actor Liza Colón-Zayas told the Los Angeles Times. “And I also think we need to expand the definition of comedy. Open it up. I think we need to be able to look at the dark times that comedy gets us through.”

Later in the evening, Colón-Zayas and several of her co-stars would bring home gold for their work on the show.

The Levys Had A Simple Request

While they didn’t mind dishing out a barb or two, they admitted they weren’t up to the task of supervising — or, God forbid, stopping — acceptance speeches.

“In what can only be described as a cruel joke, two Canadians have been put in charge of playing you off tonight,” Dan said, with his dad adding that it’s “against our nature” to interrupt.

“Confrontation, in general, is anxiety-inducing, especially for my 77-year-old father, OK? The man is frailer than he looks,” the younger Levy said. “He gets palpitations from time to time. I’m hearing about tendonitis.”

Eugene didn’t want his son to go on but did request that winners keep their speeches within the time constraints. Or else? “Having to cut you off could kill this man,” Dan concluded.

And Later, A Schitt’s Creek Reunion

Toward the end of the evening, their Schitt’s Creek co-stars Annie Murphy and Catherine O’Hara joined the Levys to present some of the night’s bigger awards, which delighted many fans of the show.

As one user on X, formerly Twitter, noted, “This was such a lovely way to close out the night. Because only seeing half of Schitt's Creek didn't feel right.”