Emmys producers Ian Stewart and Reginald Hudlin have taken aim at Seth Rogen for the comments he made about the ceremony’s unsafe COVID-19 protocols.
The actor and comedian had criticised the size of the room and the safety measures in place, and Stewart and Hudlin are “still fuming” about his comments, according to Variety.
“We have worked for months and months to make that a safe space,” Stewart told the publication. “We’ve worked with all the health authorities. We were signed off by LA County, we came up with a plan with them. Those tables were distanced. Everyone was vaccinated. Everyone was negative tested in that audience.
“And also he had rehearsed. So he knew exactly what it was. So, I just felt it was an unfortunate misdirect from [Seth Rogen]. Because it wasn’t just our decision. This is the health authorities’ decision as well, to say that it’s a completely safe environment if you do all those things.”
In his speech discussing the protocols, Rogen had said: “Good to be here at the Emmy Awards. Let me start by saying there is way too many of us in this little room.”
That moment when Seth Rogen is more concerned about Covid safety, his fellow actors’ lives and sending the right message to CBS’s aging viewers than @CBS itself. #Emmys pic.twitter.com/EB7MHEDEPq
— Richard Hine (@richardhine) September 20, 2021
Criticising the safety measures put in place at the event, he added: “What are we doing? They said this was outdoors! It’s not! They lied to us!
“We’re in a hermetically sealed tent right now. I would not have come to this! Why is there a roof?” he went on. “It’s more important that we have three chandeliers than that we make sure we don’t kill Eugene Levy tonight. That is what has been decided.”
“It made three months of very hard work and many, many discussions to get it absolutely right feel a little bit wasted, really,” Stewart said of Rogen’s speech.
“And then we just sort of played catch up. Because we wanted the audience to know how safe it was in there. We work in this industry, we’re desperately aware of COVID. I’ve done 50 productions nearly in COVID and not have people get sick. So, it’s deeply frustrating.”
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