John Oliver surprised many viewers of the 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards when he mentioned his recently deceased family dog during his acceptance speech.
Oliver, 47, was nominated for the Best Scripted Variety Series award at the ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 15, for his popular HBO show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver . Saturday Night Live was the other show nominated in the same category.
After thanking HBO “for not canceling us” and thanking his two children, Oliver began to speak about his family’s pet.
“I also want to thank—it’s going to be very silly—our dog,” the late night host’s tribute began. “We had the most fantastic dog. And she was at our wedding, and she got us through a pandemic. She was with us through two pregnancies.”
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At that point in his speech, Oliver was interrupted by the music the awards show typically plays when it is attempting to nudge award winners off the stage. Oliver interrupted himself to note it was a “perfect choice of music” before explaining to the audience, “We had to say goodbye” to their beloved dog.
As the music continued playing, Oliver dropped an F-bomb and said that he felt “like Sarah McLachlan ,” a reference to the anti-animal cruelty videos she lent her music to in support of the ASPCA.
“She was an amazing dog,” Oliver declared, adding that the award his show won “isn’t just for her.”
“This is for all dogs,” he continued. “You are very good girls, you’re very good boys. You all deserve a treat.”
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He ended his speech with a command for the awards show, urging event organizers to “Play me off now!”
While many fans praised Oliver’s sweet tribute to his family pet on social media, others predicted that he will “FRY” the awards show “on the next episode” of Last Week Tonight .
Another fan urged the show to “show some compassion when a man is talking about his recently deceased dog," while someone else called the moment "absolutely perfect."
Despite the interruption, one X user noted that Oliver’s “heartfelt moment” still “resonated deeply.”
“His raw honesty and dark humor turned a poignant tribute into a memorable Emmy moment. Even in grief, he still managed to make us laugh and feel,” they tweeted.
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