Sunday night’s Emmy Awards rating sees 54% boost from last show
Disney/Mark Seliger
Eugene and Dan Levy may never have hosted an awards show together, but the Schitt’s Creek stars’ stint onstage on ABC Sunday night delivered numbers not seen since 2021.
The telecast broke a streak of all-time low ratings earned by the last two broadcasts, according to numbers confirmed by ABC Audio.
The Levys — but more importantly the coronation of two already-popular shows The Bear and Shōgun — boosted the viewership by more than 54% from the last one, which was held in January on Fox, to nearly 7 million people.
That January telecast, the strike-delayed 75th annual Emmys, drew just 4.3 million people.
ABC points out that the 2021 telecast, which was held on CBS, also benefitted from an NFL game lead-in, which Sunday night’s telecast didn’t have.
Actress Jenna Fischer announced she is now cancer-free after battling stage 1 triple positive breast cancer.
The actress, 50, shared the news in an Instagram post on Tuesday revealing the diagnosis, detailing her battle against the disease and thanking those who supported her throughout her recovery.
“Last December, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Triple Positive Breast Cancer. After completing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation I am now cancer free,” Fischer wrote in the caption of the post which was shared along with a smiling photo of her.
Fischer began her post by explaining the circumstances of her diagnosis in 2023 after previously posting about her upcoming mammogram.
“Back in October of 2023 I posted a photo of myself on Instagram preparing for my routine mammogram with a joking reminder to ‘take care of your ticking time bags’ a la Michael Scott,” she wrote.
“After inconclusive results on that mammogram due to dense breast tissue, my doctor ordered a breast ultrasound. They found something in my left breast. A biopsy was ordered. Then, on December 1, 2023, I learned I had Stage 1 Triple Positive Breast Cancer,” she wrote. Fischer described the diagnosis as “an aggressive form of breast cancer” that is “highly responsive to treatment.”
Fischer explained in January she underwent a lumpectomy, removing the tumor that had been found. Although the cancer had not spread, she said due to its aggressive nature “it still required chemotherapy and radiation to be sure it didn’t return.”
Fischer shared in February she began 12 weeks of chemotherapy and three weeks of radiation. She also shared that while she is still taking “infusions of Herceptin and a daily dose of Tamoxifen” she is “feeling great.”
She went on to thank the “village” of people who helped her along the way, and implored her followers to get their annual mammograms.
The show returned after a multiyear hiatus following several controversies, with some of the modeling industry’s brightest stars, including supermodel Tyra Banks, ready to hit the runway.
The iconic model made an epic comeback on the runway Tuesday night after 20 years, closing the show following a performance by Cher.
Other familiar faces walked the runway, including Victoria’s Secret mainstays Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel and model Gigi Hadid. Kate Moss, Behati Prinsloo, Bella Hadid and Ashley Graham also walked.
Ahead of the show, Banks shared a post, saying, “You are…Never too young to SMiZE. Never too old to DREAM. And I hope you’ll be doing both with me tomorrow when I rock that @victoriassecret runway again after almost 20 years!”
She continued, “As I walk, think about YOUR dreams, what YOU want to accomplish. That thing you’ve been doubting about yourself. That thing you’re not sure you are confident enough to accomplish.”
“Don’t ever stop DREAMING. But now, it’s time to get to DOING!” she added. “YOU GOT THIS!”
It’s been several years since the last Victoria’s Secret Runway Show. In 2019, the annual event was canceled following a turbulent period for the brand internally and externally.
One year prior, Jan Singer had stepped down as CEO of Victoria’s Secret’s lingerie division. That move came one week after Ed Razek, the chief marketing officer of Victoria’s Secret’s then-parent company, L Brands, came under fire for making controversial comments to Vogue about transgender models. Razek later apologized.
The show also previously faced criticism for a lack of inclusivity on the runway.
Good Morning Americacaught up with Emmy presenter Niecy Nash-Betts and her wife, Jessica Betts, at the event’s after-party Sunday, and they spoke about queer representation on TV.
“Everyone wants to be fully seen,” Niecy said, “and, you know, we are happy to be representations of that.” Niecy and Jessica tied the knot in 2020.
She continued, “We applaud when others are [a] representation of that, and I just think that TV has to look like the real world at some point.”
During Sunday night’s ceremony, Niecy took the stage in the program’s salute to TV cops, joining NYPD Blue‘s Jimmy Smits and Miami Vice veteran Don Johnson. Niecy played Deputy Raineesha Williams on the beloved comedy series Reno: 911.
“Raineesha brought two important things to being a cop,” Nash-Betts said from the stage. “A marginal knowledge of the law and the belief that you can’t fight crime if you ain’t cute.”
