Unique Speech Moments by Emmy Winners
TV

Here are the funny, rare and memorable speech moments at the annual awards from the last few decades.

AceShowbiz - The 70th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards is only a few days away from being held on Monday, September 17. Many preparations have been taking place behind the scenes, while the nominees have prepared their best outfits and their speeches, should they win the prizes that night.

Indeed, the acceptance speeches have been one of the highlights of every awards show, besides the winner reveal itself. Throughout the years, the speeches delivered by the award recipients managed to draw laughs, bring tears and lift up the audience's spirit.

As we're looking forward to what this year's winners will bring at the upcoming ceremony, let's take a look back at ten standout speeches at modern days' Emmys.

1. When Your Speech Got Swapped


When Your Speech Got Swapped
ABC

Proving that there's no bad blood between the nominees for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Julia Louis-Dreyfus pulled a joke with the help of Amy Poehler when she beat the "Parks and Recreation" alum for the award. "I want to thank NBC, 'Parks and Rec', my beautiful boys Archie and Abel... Um...," she read Poehler's speech, before realizing the flub. Poehler then ran up to the stage to hand Louis-Dreyfus her real speech, but not before she added one last line to it, "Isn't it a shame that Amy Poehler didn't win?"

2. A Call for Change


A Call for Change
ABC

Alan Yang did not only steal the spotlight for sharing the Best Writing for a Comedy prize with Aziz Ansari ("Master of None") in 2016, but also for his raw speech. "There are 17 million Asian Americans in this country, and 17 million Italian Americans. They have 'The Godfather', 'Goodfellas', 'Rocky', 'The Sopranos'. We got Long Duk Dong," he said, referring to stereotypical Asian character portrayed in "Sixteen Candles". Representing minorities in the television industry, he told Asian parents watching the show, "If just a couple of you get your kids cameras instead of violins, we'd be all good."

3. Uncensored Expletive-Filled Speech


Uncensored Expletive-Filled Speech
ABC

Everyone knows Helen Mirren as a classy British lady, so no one, not even the producers, was prepared for this. Her cuss words slipped past censor as she admitted she was relieved that she made it onto the stage safely to accept her award for Best Actress in a Mini Series or Movie in 2006 for "The Queen". "My great triumph is not falling a** over tit as I came up those stairs," she said.

4. He Got Played Off


He Got Played Off
CBS

Sterling K. Brown got his second Emmy at last year's ceremony for his role "This is Us". While it was supposed to be one of his best nights, the moment was almost ruined when the show cut off his speech by playing the music. Much to everyone's disappointment, the show let Nicole Kidman deliver her speech for 2:46, while Brown's was shorter (1:57). But the actor was given a chance to finish his speech in the press room, and so he was able to express his gratitude to his real and TV family.

5. Pulling a Kanye West


Pulling a Kanye West
CTV

This is what happened when two of the funniest men in Hollywood were at the same show. Jimmy Fallon stole the microphone from Stephen Colbert, whose show "The Colbert Report" won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Series in 2014. Joining the show's crew on stage, the "Tonight Show" host demanded to see the envelope to make sure that the presenters read the right winner. He ended up delivering Colbert's acceptance speech, with the real winner whispering in his ear.

6. Raising Awareness on Equality


Raising Awareness on Equality
FOX

Viola Davis became the first African-American woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2015 for her portrayal of Annalise Keating on "How to Get Away with Murder". She delivered an epic speech that brought up the issue of race in Hollywood as saying, "The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there."

7. Never Too Humble to Be Proud


Never Too Humble to Be Proud
ABC

With more than 250 nominations and 160 wins from various award shows, Meryl Streep's class was way beyond most other stars in the room. But the winner of Emmy Award for Lead Actress in a Limited Series in 2004 was never too tired to be praised in public. Taking the trophy for her role on "Angels in America", she quipped, "You know, there are some days when I myself think I’m overrated. But not today!"

8. A La Pageant


A La Pageant

TV's funny ladies once again stole the show at the 2011 Emmy Awards when all six nominees of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Melissa McCarthy, Martha Plimpton, Edie Falco and Laura Linney, shared the stage. Mimicking a beauty pageant show, they were holding hands before the winner was announced. McCarthy eventually took the prize, and she got a tiara and a flower bouquet in addition to her trophy.

9. Did She Forget What to Say?


Did She Forget What to Say?
CBS

Merritt Wever literally lost for words when she was named the winner of Best Supporting Actress in 2013 for her portrayal of Zoey Barkow on "Nurse Jackie". Evidently nervous, she mumbled a few words on stage before signing off with "Thank you so much! Um ... I gotta go. Bye." The short speech was dubbed "the best acceptance speech ever" by host Neil Patrick Harris.

10. Too Much Information


Too Much Information

An acceptance speech is commonly addressed to those someone is thankful for. For Kirstie Alley, it was her then-husband Parker Stevenson. Winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on "Cheers" in 1991, she spilled the beans on her bed secret by thanking Stevenson for "being the man who has always given me the big one for the last eight years."

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