Seth Rogen Reveals He Was Barred From Emmys After 2021 On Air Moment

Published 10/08/2025, 10:26 PM EDT

Seth Rogen is a veritable Swiss Army knife of Hollywood, equally adept at acting, writing, producing, and occasionally directing chaos. Audiences know him for his effortlessly charming humor, but one of his most underrated talents is being hilariously candid during award shows. From interrupting rehearsed segments at the Golden Globes to delivering irreverent commentary at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Seth Rogen has a knack for turning structured ceremonies into memorable comedy gold. One such moment, however, led to unexpected consequences.

Seth Rogen admitted that one off-script Emmy moment hilariously resulted in him being barred from presenting.

Seth Rogen says one unscripted moment cost him the Emmys

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Seth Rogen faced notable consequences for his unscripted behavior during the 2021 Emmy Awards, as he explained on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The actor recalled that the ceremony, advertised as an outdoor event, was actually held in a crowded tent with hundreds of attendees. Frustrated by the misleading setup and safety measures, Rogen abandoned the scripted segment he was assigned. He improvised jokes, notably referencing Eugene Levy, which reportedly left Television Academy producers “outwardly pissed off” and disrupted the planned flow of the broadcast.

The repercussions of his candid moment were immediate and lasting. Rogen revealed on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he has not been invited back to present at the Emmys since 2021, effectively being blacklisted. He acknowledged that going off-script exposed the flawed conditions of the event, admitted that it made the producers look bad, and accepted that his humor carried professional consequences, highlighting the tension between creative spontaneity and ceremony protocol.

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Seth Rogen’s unscripted Emmy moment in 2021 is far from an isolated incident; he has a long history of going off-script at award shows.

A look at Seth Rogen's unscripted award show moments

Seth Rogen’s penchant for going off-script at award shows extends beyond the 2021 Emmy Awards. At the 2025 Golden Globes, while presenting alongside Catherine O’Hara, Rogen made a joke about actor Ryan Gosling’s early career at Disney. The remark was censored by CBS during the live broadcast, highlighting how his spontaneous humor can clash with network standards. Similarly, at the 2025 Breakthrough Prize ceremony, known as the "Oscars of Science," Rogen criticized Silicon Valley executives for supporting the Donald Trump administration, which had previously defunded scientific research.

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These unscripted moments underscore Rogen’s willingness to use awards shows as platforms for candid commentary. Both incidents, according to observers, were edited or removed from televised broadcasts, reflecting the tension between his comedic candor and the producers’ desire for controlled messaging. The off-script style of Seth Rogen, whose new comedy got 100% ratings, continues to generate headlines and audience engagement, even when it challenges authority or established protocols, cementing his reputation as a risk-taking host in live television settings.

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Do you think Seth Rogen's off-candid moments are funny or disrespectful? Let us know in the comments below.

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Iffat Siddiqui

566 articles

Iffat is an Entertainment Journalist at Netflix Junkie. A word wizard, she had the sorting hat smoke at the seams owing to her excellence in everything Hollywood and cinema until it finally declared that she belonged to the Royals, specifically Meghan Markle. Boasting over 300 articles (and counting), each one tastefully infused with the right mix of facts, wit, opinion, and essentially everything to make a perfect pop culture piece, she is the epitome of a trustworthy entertainment journalist.

Edited By: Aliza Siddiqui

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