It happened twice, on opposite sides of the telecast. The audio cut out briefly when Jeremy Allen White accepted his lead actor in a comedy award for “The Bear” and then again when Richard Gadd accepted the best limited series award for “Baby Reindeer.” But neither of their mouths appeared to be making the rounded shape that usually accompanies the usual profanity bleeped out onstage.
So what did they say? Per AP’s Beth Harris, inside the auditorium, White and Gadd both exclaimed “Jesus Christ” during their speeches.
While “Jesus Christ” is not a profanity, ABC — airing the Emmys tonight — has a history of eliding it from broadcasts.
Back in 2002, an ABC spokesperson told AP’s David Bauder that the network does not allow Christ’s name to be used as an exclamation — it must be used in a “prayerful and respectful manner,” per network standards.
“Under the circumstances, we were concerned it would be offensive to our audience,” spokesperson Julie Hoover said at the time. The 2002 censorship came when Meredith Vieira noted on “The View” that the daily weigh-ins of her co-host, Joy Behar, had ended. (Yes, we have questions, more than 20 years later.)
“Yes, and thank you, thank you, Jesus, is all I have to say,” Behar replied. Her response did air live initially, but ABC’s taped broadcast on the West Coast had “Jesus” edited out. While the network’s stated intention was not to offend, the decision angered conservatives including the Rev. Jerry Fallwell. The show also received about 100 letters of complaint.
The censoring at the Emmys had not drawn much attention on X as of the telecast’s conclusion, but the entertainment site IndieWire did publish a story titled, “Jesus Christ, We’re Bleeping ‘Jesus Christ’ Now?”
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