Summary:
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The Emmys showcased bold political statements, with winners and presenters using the platform to advocate for causes.
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Artists at the VMAs and Emmys displayed political messages, signaling a shift towards explicit values over mere vibes.
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Celebrities like Hannah Einbinder and Ariana Grande are using their platforms to push for change and activism.
The Emmys last night made one thing clear. The age of polite, tasteful, say-nothing red carpets is over. Television’s biggest night turned openly political, with winners and presenters treating the mic like a megaphone, not a formality. The most viral example came from Hacks star Hannah Einbinder, who ended her first-ever Emmy speech with a rapid-fire sign-off: “Go Birds, f— ICE, and free Palestine.”
Einbinder’s win landed amid a carpet already loaded with signals. Her co-star Meg Stalter arrived in jeans and a white tee, then lifted a black handbag scrawled with “Cease Fire!” When asked why, she told Variety it is “the most important to stick up for people and for peace,” adding, “We have to use our platforms. What’s the point of being at these big events if you’re not going to use your privilege?”
This mood followed a VMAs cycle where pop spectacle and protest braided together. Sabrina Carpenter’s performance of “Tears” staged a trans-rights tableau with drag stars hoisting protest signs that read “Protect Trans Rights,” a choice as intentional as any costume change. Ariana Grande dominated the winners list and laced her acceptance remarks with gratitude to “gay people,” a through-line in her public allyship that includes signing the Artists4Ceasefire letter and sharing Gaza relief resources last year. The VMA stage signaled a widening comfort with explicit values, not just vibes.
Hannah Einbinder on saying “Free Palestine” in her Emmys acceptance speech.
“It is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the state of Israel. Our religion and our culture is such an important and long-standing institution that is really separate to this sort… pic.twitter.com/FNVTji7VC3
— Variety (@Variety) September 15, 2025
Zoom out and the Emmys were crowded with the same iconography. Red Artists4Ceasefire pins dotted lapels. Javier Bardem wore a keffiyeh and said on camera he would not work with those who “justify or support” what he called genocide in Gaza.
javier bardem at the 2025 emmy awards. pic.twitter.com/3tFSgPep3k
— archive dilfs (@archivedilfs) September 14, 2025
There is precedent for all of this, and it is older than TikTok. Marlon Brando sent activist Sacheen Littlefeather to refuse his 1973 Oscar and spotlight Native representation, one of the earliest award-show interventions to force U.S. audiences to sit with politics in the middle of a telecast. Vanessa Redgrave used her 1978 Oscar speech to blast “Zionist hoodlums,” linking her win to Palestinian solidarity and igniting a backlash that lasted decades. Frances McDormand’s 2018 “inclusion rider” call turned a wonky contracting idea into a boardroom mandate. These moments live on because they redefined what the podium is for.
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What feels different now is scale and frequency. Since 2023, the Artists4Ceasefire network has formalized a common language — a red pin, an open letter, and a specific policy demand for a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid. That shared shorthand makes individual gestures legible in seconds, from an Emmys purse to a Grammys performance, and helps celebrities move past vague “thoughts and prayers” toward named positions.
The personalities matter, too. Einbinder is a Jewish comedian whose work on Hacks is already about power, gatekeeping, and who gets a mic. Stalter broke through as a chaotic assistant on the same show, then built a fan base with unscripted sincerity. Carpenter grew from Disney star to festival headliner who treats her stage as a narrative canvas. Grande, a world-building technician with one of pop’s largest platforms, has threaded civic calls to action into tours and social feeds for years. When these artists choose clarity over coyness, their fandoms follow with action items and receipts.
There will always be pushback. Every era has its Ricky Gervais who asks stars to keep causes out of acceptance speeches, or executives who warn that outspokenness risks jobs. History suggests the opposite pattern. Outrage cools, norms shift, and a line that once seemed too pointed becomes the baseline for what counts as responsibility. That is not to say every stunt is equal. The difference between a headline-grabbing provocation and a durable political act is whether it points to a real community, a specific policy, and a material ask.
Last night, the strongest moments did. The industry is catching up to its audience, which has been media-literate and morally impatient for a long time.
