Henry Winkler And Ron Howard Have Most Epic ‘Happy Days’ Reunion At Emmy Awards

Henry Winkler and Ron Howard took to the Peacock Theater stage during the 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Happy Days. The duo, who played Fonzie and Richie Cunningham, staged a reunion and then presented the award for outstanding directing in a comedy series.

Host Eugene Levy introduced the session, describing Happy Days as part of the strange phenomena that contributed to the ‘50s nostalgia wave. Henry and Ron did their act from a setup that resembled Arnold’s Drive-In from the show, and the audience was thrilled by their performance.

Henry Winkler and Ron Howard back together again to mark ‘Happy Days’ anniversary

After Levy brought them on stage, Henry and Ron playfully asked why the Happy Days theme song by Pratt and McClain did not come with the introduction, and then Henry punched the jukebox nearby to fix that. He then congratulated Ron on his multiple Emmy wins in his documentary, Jim Henson Idea Man.

Henry and Ron share one of the most admirable friendships in Hollywood, both supporting one another decades after co-starring in the classic sitcom. Earlier this year, Henry shared a photo of Ron attending one of his book events since the release of his memoir Being Henry: The Fonz…And Beyond.

Although Henry stayed on Happy Days from its first to tenth season, Ron left after season 7 to focus on his directing career, which he debuted with 1977’s comedy/action movie Grand Theft Auto. He then got his big break with Night Shift in 1982, which featured Henry as Chuck Lumley.

After Happy Days, Henry had a hard time getting more roles until 1991; however, he directed and executive produced All the Kids Do It in 1984, winning the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Special the following year. Last year, he snagged a Critics’ Choice Television Award for his work in the HBO comedy series Barry.