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Seth Rogen presented Hannah Waddingham with the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series during the 2021 Emmys. He even slightly flubbed her name, calling the Ted Lasso actor “Hannah Waddington.”

But Rogen’s mistake was not his most memorable moment on stage at the awards show. He addressed the lack of coronavirus (COVID-19) safety protocols at the event. Here’s what Rogen said and how some of the other attendees reacted. 

Seth Rogen flashes a peace sign and a smile at the camera.
Seth Rogen | Rich Fury/Getty Images

The 2021 Emmy Awards was an exciting night … but where were the masks?

A lot happened at the eventful 2021 Emmy Awards. Cedric the Entertainer hosted the show, RuPaul made history, Netflix won its first series award for The Crown, and Evan Peters finally won an Emmy. 

The show was held at the L.A. Live entertainment complex, which is an outdoor space. But the attendees were all crowded into a tent, negating the safety precaution of having the event outside. 

Viewers might have been confused to see so many unmasked faces in such a small space. As of now, LA County’s rules clearly state that “EVERYONE, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a mask in all indoor public settings, venues, gatherings, and public and private businesses in Los Angeles.” The rule extends to “outdoor Mega Events (events with over 10,000 attendees like concerts, sports games and parades),” “shelters and cooling centers,” and “in any other outdoor location where it is the policy of the business or venue.”

While there were far fewer than 10,000 people at the awards show, the fact that it was in a contained “shelter” despite technically being outdoors raised a few eyebrows. 

Seth Rogen questioned the lack of COVID safety measures at the event

When it was his turn to take the stage, the Pineapple Express star voiced what many people were thinking – why didn’t the celebrities have to wear masks and follow the current LA mask mandate?

“Good to be here at the Emmy Awards,” Seth Rogen said. “Let me start by saying: there’s way too many of us in this little room.

“What are we doing?” Rogen continued, sounding flustered. “They said this was outdoors – it’s not! They lied to us.

“We’re in a hermetically sealed tent right now,” Rogen said. “I would not have come to this. Why is there a roof? It’s more important that we have three chandeliers than that we make sure we don’t kill Eugene Levy tonight. That is what has been decided.

“This is insane!” Rogen exclaimed. “I went from wiping my groceries to having Paul Bettany sneeze in my face – so, that’s a big week! If anyone’s gonna sneeze in my face, Paul, I want it to be you.”

It was unclear whether or not Rogen was joking because he concluded by saying, “That’s all the jokes I wrote.” However, he appeared genuinely concerned during his speech. 

Seth Rogen on stage wearing an orange suit at the 2021 Emmys.
Seth Rogen | Cliff Lipson/CBS via Getty Images
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Some stars at the awards show disagreed with Seth Rogen

Not all the attendees at the Emmy Awards agreed with Rogen’s assessment of the health protocols. 

According to TMZ, the awards show host Cedric the Entertainer said, “It feels good; we’re all vaxxed.” Regarding his vaccination prior to the show, he said, “I did not have a reaction like Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend, okay. I got Pfizer; you know what I’m saying? Because I’m bougie.”

Bradley Whitford from The West Wing also begged to differ, saying he thought everything was COVID compliant.

Reggie Watts, the Emmys DJ and bandleader for James Corden’s Late Late Show, later clarified that everyone at the Emmys was vaccinated.

But even though the attendees might have all been vaccinated, it still seems as if the awards show might have thwarted the official safety guidelines. 

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