Who Hosted the 2018 Emmy Awards
The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony was hosted by Michael Che and Colin Jost, both known for their work on Saturday Night Live, and the show took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 17, 2018. The duo became the first pair of hosts from a sketch comedy show to lead the Emmys in recent years, and their booking was part of a broader trend of leaning on mainstream television personalities to anchor prestige broadcasts.
Che and Jost were selected by the Television Academy to bridge younger audiences with traditional viewership, and their hosting gig came after recent years of solo hosts with strong late-night or comedy credentials. Their appointment was announced months ahead of the ceremony, and the Academy highlighted their experience with live television and their ability to deliver sharp, timely jokes within a tightly controlled broadcast format.
Key Facts About the 2018 Emmy Ceremony
Broadcast Reach and Ratings
The 2018 ceremony aired on ABC and drew approximately 10.2 million total viewers, which was a decline from the previous year but in line with the broader trend of decreasing linear television audiences for awards shows. The show started at 8 p.m. ET and ran for just over three hours, with the Academy enforcing strict time limits on acceptance speeches to keep the broadcast moving.
The ratings drop reflected a shift in how audiences consumed entertainment content, as streaming platforms began to dominate nominations and wins, and younger viewers increasingly turned to digital highlights and social media clips rather than watching the full broadcast live.
Major Wins and Notable Moments
Game of Thrones led the night with multiple wins, including Outstanding Drama Series, while The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel took home Outstanding Comedy Series for the second consecutive year, reinforcing the dominance of premium cable and streaming dramas and comedies in the awards landscape. The ceremony also featured several politically charged jokes and references to the #MeToo movement and Time's Up initiative, which were woven into both the opening monologue and acceptance speeches.
Why the 2018 Emmy Host Matters for Awards Trends
The choice of Che and Jost signaled the Television Academy's strategy to modernize the broadcast by pairing hosts with strong digital and social media followings, and their hosting gig was seen as a test of whether a sketch comedy duo could carry an awards show without a traditional late-night host format. The experiment contributed to a wider conversation about how awards shows can remain relevant to younger, streaming-oriented audiences while still drawing legacy television viewers.
Following the 2018 ceremony, the Academy continued to refine its hosting strategy, with subsequent years featuring a mix of solo hosts, co-hosts, and themed opening segments designed to boost engagement across platforms. The 2018 Emmy host setup also coincided with a period of significant change in the television industry, as streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu began to compete directly with traditional networks for major awards recognition and audience share.