CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER NAMED AS HOST OF 73RD EMMY AWARDS

Cedric The Entertainer will be the host of the 73rd Emmy Awards, which will air on September 19. The ceremony will be a live show held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, with a limited audience of nominees and guests.

This will be the first time hosting the Emmys but has previously hosted the American Music Awards, the Critics’ Choice Television Awards, NAACP Image Awards, the Soul Train Awards, and the TV Land Awards.

“Since I was a little boy huddled up next to my grandmother, television has always been my reliable friend, so it is an enormous honor for me to host this year’s Emmy Awards,” Cedric the Entertainer said to Deadline. “Throughout the roller-coaster of a year that we have all lived through, television has helped us stay connected as a society like never before. It not only entertained us, but as it always has, it helped to open our eyes, educate us, and hopefully brought about a better understanding of who we are as a people. I can’t wait to take the stage to celebrate all of the great shows and performances that made us laugh, cry, dance and sing over the past year.”

This is just the third time in the last decade that the Emmys is not hosted by a late-night TV personality.

“Over the past year, television has united us as a community more than ever, bringing vital information and inspiring entertainment to viewers at a critical time in our lives,” said Jack Sussman, EVP, Specials, Music, Live Events and Alternative Programming for CBS. “Now, who better to bring television audiences together to celebrate the industry’s top achievements than our very own King of Comedy, Cedric the Entertainer.”

“Cedric the Entertainer has been a wonderful friend to the Television Academy and our Foundation, and we are thrilled that he will bring his unique comedic perspective to the Emmy ceremony and telecast that marks our return to celebrating nominees and presenters live and in-person,” said Frank Scherma, Chairman and CEO of the Academy.