Eugene Levy and Laraine Newman Critique Emmy Nomination of ‘The Bear’ in Comedy Category

Eugene Levy and Laraine Newman made some pointed remarks about the popular FX series The Bear after it received a nomination for the ‘comedy’ category at the Emmys. The 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony was held on Sunday, September 15, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, hosted by the father-son duo of Schitt’s Creek stars Eugene and Dan Levy.

Surprise arose when The Bear was nominated for best comedy series, given that the show is primarily a drama. The hosts wasted no time to address the show’s unexpected nomination during their opening monologue, with Eugene Levy humorously stating:

“The Bear is nominated for 23 Emmys tonight, making it the most nominated comedy in history. Now, I love the show and I know some of you might be expecting us to make a joke about whether The Bear is really a comedy…but in the true spirit of The Bear, we will not be making any jokes.”

Despite winning multiple awards that night, the show lost out in the ‘comedy’ category to HBO Max’s Hacks. Laraine Newman, mother of Hacks star Hannah Einbinder, expressed her feelings on X, tweeting, “F**K. THE. BEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”before later deleting and apologizing for her comment.

Laraine Newman Questions The Bear’s Comedy Status

Eugene Levy’s joke about The Bear being nominated for the best comedy series set off quite a stir, especially since the show won the same award last year. SNL alum Laraine Newman, also the mother of Hacks star Hannah Einbinder, expressed her mixed feelings about the show on social media.

The founding member of The Groundlings tweeted on award night about how just thinking of the show’s placement in the comedy category gave her “an ulcer developing.”Following The Bear‘s historic win of 11 Primetime Emmys, she vented on X with a now-deleted message saying, “F**K. THE. BEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

In a follow-up tweet, she clarified her stance:

“I think The Bear is a great show but IMHO it’s not a comedy—not even a dark comedy.”

When a user on X questioned her about the initial tweet, she admitted:

“I know. I took it down. Not my best moment.”

Meanwhile, HBO Max’s Hacks, starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, secured the award for best comedy series. Hacks not only triumphed over The Bear but also outshone other competitors like Abbott Elementary, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Reservation Dogs, and Only Murders in the Building.

In response to Newman’s tweet, a user expressed strong defense for the FX series, labeling her comments “appalling and nasty.”The user noted they were pleased that Newman’s daughter lost to Liza Colón-Zayas in the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Laraine Newman replied:

“I regret that post and I think the actress who won is wonderful in that role. But the other people in the various categories that lost to The Bear, in my opinion, were robbed.”

The Bear clinched an impressive 11 Primetime Emmys on Sunday, breaking its own previous record of 10 from last year. Alongside its best comedy series victory, Jean Smart’s third consecutive win in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category contributed to Hacks‘ second Primetime Emmy of the night.

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