Hosting the Emmy awards is a tough gig. Just showing up for the Primetime Emmys requires wit and reflexes so Emmy hosts who have done well make it look easy. That's one of the reasons this Emmy hosts list is one of those rare times where the best and worst overlap.
Opinions on Emmy hosts can go either way, depending on who you ask. Sometimes people remember the Primetime Emmys like witnesses at a car accident. As long as no one was seriously injured, it wasn’t so bad. Others have razor sharp recall of the Emmy Awards and a strict criteria for Emmy hosts. That criteria skews wildly with wine. That's not surprising for an awards show that has given Emmys to a ventriloquist (the first Emmy ever given), the yellow first down line on the NFL broadcasts, and the most Emmys to the Oscars.
Even if a host is talented and has a huge following, that’s not a guaranteed win as an Emmy host. A tough industry crowd, pre-awards cocktails, and egos that strain the max capacity of the room all make for a 50/50 shot at success. The only host who consistently and expertly handled the crowd was Johnny Carson as host of the Emmys eight times.
The Emmy hosts list is varied and strange. Top comedians and talk show hosts made sense, but Bruce Willis? Bruce Willis hosted the Emmys? It was 1987, he was white hot from Moonlighting, and won an Emmy that year, but in retrospect, it’s proof that time chipped away at both his hair and his enthusiasm.
Hosting the Emmy Awards takes careful planning, the ability to wing it, and the super power of reading an audience. Barreling forward when it’s not working isn’t smart. Finding the right Emmy host is a talent in and of itself and the Emmy Awards have tried it all. Five hosts, no Emmy hosts, and letting California Governor Earl Warren host in 1951.
Who takes home the faux gold statue as your favorite among all the Emmy hosts? Upvote the Emmy hosts who made you laugh, cry, and schlep toward the limo with more gift bags than they were allotted.1
286165Neil Patrick Harris
Age: 472009, 20132
14366Wanda Sykes
Age: 5620033
13460Merv Griffin
Dec. at 82 (1925-2007)19694
190107Johnny Carson
Dec. at 80 (1925-2005)1962, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1980, 195
301195Ellen DeGeneres
Age: 571994, 2001, 2005, 20146
11954Danny Thomas
Dec. at 79 (1912-1991)1957, 1958, 1965, 19707
11451Steve Allen
Dec. at 79 (1921-2000)1955, 19808
10148Danny Kaye
Dec. at 74 (1913-1987)19669
9446Candice Bergen
Age: 74199010
192137Conan O'Brien
Age: 572002, 2003, 200611
12679Oprah Winfrey
Age: 66199612
9251Cybill Shepherd
Age: 70199513
8243Joey Bishop
Dec. at 89 (1918-2007)1961, 1963, 1964, 196714
11272Jane Lynch
Age: 60201115
9358Paul Reiser
Age: 63199616
8753Patricia Richardson
Age: 69199417
139106Dick Van Dyke
Age: 94196818
8252David Frost
Dec. at 74 (1939-2013)197019
8965Dennis Miller
Age: 671991, 199220
123101Lucille Ball
Dec. at 78 (1911-1989)195221
149137Jimmy Kimmel
Age: 52201222
127114Michael J. Fox
Age: 59199623
8469Stephen Colbert
Age: 562017
24
112103Eddie Murphy
Age: 59198325
163163Jimmy Fallon
Age: 462010, 2017