Is the 2020 Emmys Audience Real? Jimmy Kimmel Hosts Live in Empty Theater

The 2020 Emmys looked much different this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, but there still appeared to be a crowd of celebrities watching. Was the audience real? Jimmy Kimmel hosted the show live on Sunday, September 20, from an empty theater in Los Angeles. Keep reading to see how they did it!

“Instead of a live audience we took a page from baseball tonight, and we filmed the scenes with cardboard cutouts,” the Jimmy Kimmel Live host explained during the big night while standing on stage at the Microsoft Theater.

During the late-night host’s opening monologue, the show cut to past footage from the Emmys that showed the audience laughing, making it look like a full crowd was in attendance.

However, a few celebs did show up in person, like Jennifer Aniston, Tracee Ellis Ross, Zendaya and Jason Bateman, but stayed relatively distant from the host while undergoing COVID-19 testing prior to appearing. 

The Friends star had a bit of pampering before making her way to the Microsoft Theater. “Emmys prep … in my other mask,” Jennifer, 51, captioned a photo that showed her wearing a robe and facemask with a glass of Champagne. “Congratulations to the nominees and all of the amazing performances we’ve seen this year.”

However, she later appeared on stage with the comedian to help present an award. While on location, the Morning Show actress showed some behind-the-scenes shots of the show. “Things are looking a little different this year,” she acknowledged while also sharing a snapshot of a stylist wearing a face shield while fixing her dress.

Jen was also nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series for The Morning Show. The Apple TV series and its cast had five other nominations, including Steve Carell for Lead Actor, Billy Crudup and Mark Duplass for Supporting Actor and Main Title Design.

With the digital aspect of the awards show, there were more cameos than ever by Hollywood A-listers, like Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade, Insecure star Yvonne Orji and The Good Place star D’Arcy Carden.

Although there was a lot of humor throughout the show, no one could deny the odd and slightly disheartening circumstances. “I don’t know where we will do this or how we will do this or even why we are doing this, but we are doing it and I am hosting it,” Jimmy said in June after being announced as the host. 

While the 2020 Emmys had a different vibe, there were many shows and actors who deserved to be celebrated!