Producers Recall Dead Dog Moment

Last night’s Emmy Awards were… well, fine. Let’s just call them fine. Nothing too crazy happened, except for one or two memorable moments, like when John Oliver’s acceptance speech garnered the wrap-it-up music just as he started talking about his dead dog.

In a new interview with Variety, the producers of the 76th Emmy Awards said they were just as startled as everyone else. Picking the right moment to drop the proverbial needle on someone’s speech is, of course, a fine art. And at the moment, the production team at Jesse Collins Entertainment thought they were in the clear as Oliver started talking about his dog while accepting the trophy for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series for Last Week Tonight. 

“We had the most fantastic dog. She was at my wedding. She got us through a pandemic. She was with us through two pregnancies,” Oliver said before the infamous play-off music began to swell. He then quipped: “Perfect choice of music! We had to say goodbye to her.”

Oliver then leveled a joking “Fuck you!” at the music directors. After the music was switched off, he went on to dedicate the prize to all dogs, and after finishing, he told the Emmy production team, “Play me off now!”

Dionne Harmon, president of Jesse Collins Entertainment, said, “He was talking about the dog, and we’re like… he’s dead? No! Take the music back, give the dead dog some respect!” 

Executive producer Jesse Collins recalled the exact moment when he realized what was happening: “I was like, ‘Oh, take the music down!’ You’re just trying to make a call. And then John Oliver’s dog pops up!” 

And Collins noted that Oliver handled the moment in stride while acknowledging the obvious: “It was great TV!”