The winners have been revealed, the trophies handed out, and the acceptance speeches have been delivered. But that’s not the end of the story for the 2025 Emmys. Vanity Fair’s Rebecca Ford and John Ross were inside the Peacock Theater for the ceremony and roaming the afterparties once the last prize was handed out (to HBO Max’s The Pitt), spying all the celebrity interactions that didn’t make it onto your TV.
Look below to learn which afterparty had the most dancing, who was caught walking barefoot out of the theater, and which winner had nothing prepared for an acceptance speech—but made up for it by recycling old podcast jokes.
A Blast from the Past During Commercials
During commercial breaks, the audience in the Peacock Theater was shown “Emmy flashback” clips—some of the most memorable moments from previous years. The list included Meryl Streep’s 2004 Emmy acceptance speech for Angels in America, in which she said, “There are some days when I myself think I’m overrated—but not today.” The audience also saw Alan Alda’s 1979 cartwheel and 2011, when Amy Poehler orchestrated a lovely idea: having all her fellow nominees, including Melissa McCarthy, Tina Fey, Edie Falco, and Laura Linney, join her on stage before the category’s result was announced. (The winner was McCarthy.) These clips reminded the audience how impactful a great acceptance speech can be—and maybe gave this year’s group of future winners some inspiration before they took the stage.
Cheesy Concessions
The cheesiest thing about the Emmys, in our opinion, is the concessions sold in the lobby. The lines are always horrendous, and the offerings range from nachos to hot dogs. Because that’s exactly what you want to eat when wearing your black tie finest. To quench your thirst, you have to choose between cans of beer. or cans of wine. But in a fun twist, there’s no VIP section—which means that nominees are standing in line like the rest of us. Among them on Sunday night was Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio. Can’t imagine what he thinks of this food.
Lobby Hob-Nobbing
After the first hour of the show, the lobby at the Emmys starts to get crowded. By this point in the slow, a good portion of the nominees have lost and are ready to let loose a bit more—while others are just really hungry because they haven’t eaten all day. Shrinking’s Brett Goldstein was there, surrounded by fans, and The White Lotus siblings Sam Nivola and Sarah Catherine Hook were munching on popcorn and chatting in the corner. Taika Waititi ran up to give What We Do in the Shadows star Harvey Guillén a quick hug. Guillén bought Red Vines at the snack area, while Sirens nominee Meghann Fahy and a friend grabbed a can of chilled red wine after posing for a photo with a fan.
A Rush to the Stage, and a Barefoot Exit
When The Pitt was announced as the final winner of the night (for drama series), a few members of that team must not have been expecting the announcement. We spotted them running down the aisle from the lobby to join the rest of their team onstage; they made it in time, but it’s the fastest we’ve ever seen someone run in that room. Separately, when the show ended, The Bear’s Molly Gordon was spotted leaving the theater without shoes on. Quite brave to walk those downtown Los Angeles streets barefoot!
Having a Ball
Right after the show, winners, nominees, and other partygoers make their way to the Governors Ball. This year’s event had different food stations set up by former Top Chef competitors. Along with getting a bite to eat or a drink, winners take this opportunity to get their names added to their new hardware at an engraving station. Adolescence star Owen Cooper, who won the lead actor in a limited series award, went over with his mom, grabbing his phone out of her purse and taking a photo of the decorative giant Emmy statuette. His parents accepted a free bottle of Johnny Walker Blue on his behalf. (Cooper is just 15.) His Adolescence co-star Stephen Graham arrived a bit later at the station; while Graham was waiting for one of his three trophies to be finished, he was dancing along to “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” with his son.
On the way from the ceremony to the Ball, Severance Emmy winner Tramell Tillman couldn’t take more than two steps without being stopped and congratulated by fans, as well as TV Academy members who asked for photos and told him they had voted for him. His co-star Dichen Lachman, who plays Gemma on the show, ran up to him to give him a hug.
As Graham left the Governor’s Ball, he ran into fellow winner Noah Wyle and congratulated him profusely, telling the other actor, “Your performance was beautiful.” Graham spoke in detail to Wyle, specifically about the scene in which Dr. Robby has a breakdown. (No spoilers here!) While the two actors chatted, their respective spouses hugged and got to know one another.
Another Emmy winner for The Pitt, John Wells, was—like many guests leaving the Governor’s Ball—confused. He couldn’t find the right line for his limo, and after asking a security guard for directions, he learned that he would have to double back into the party and exit on a different side.
Netflix Celebrates Adolescence
Netflix’s post-Emmys celebration is generally known as the liveliest afterparty of the night—and one where people actually dance. This year’s fête, held at NYA Studios West in Hollywood, was no exception, with a packed dance floor as Anderson .Paak DJed for the lively crowd.
The party really took off when the Adolescence team arrived, with their many Emmys in tow. That show won in every category in which it was nominated Sunday night, and the energy was electric in the room. Netflix’s Ted Sarandos made his way over to congratulate Cooper and Graham, who were surrounded by their families all night. Graham’s son was also among the first to run over to hug Cooper. Jude Law, who soon stars in Netflix’s Black Rabbit, chatted with Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne, with whom he previously worked on the 2020 series The Third Day.
When .Paak performed his and Bruno Mars’s hit song “Leave the Door Open”, Colman Domingo (star of The Four Seasons) rushed to the stage and joined him in the performance, which made the crowd go wild. “Bruno has officially been replaced. You heard it here first,” joked .Paak.
The dance floor was full most of the night, with Rashida Jones joined Graham and Fahhy bopping along with some friends. Elsewhere in the party, Bob Hope humanitarian award recipients Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen cozied up in a booth with friends, Matthew Rhys and Kerry Russell chatted in another corner, and Bowen Yang took a cigarette break outside with some other partygoers.
HBO Throws a House Party
HBO Chairman and CEO Casey Bloys was all smiles as he walked through the San Vincente Bungalows. His network had overperformed at the Emmys—which Bloys may have seen coming. When asked how he felt going into the night, Bloys admitted that he was “feeling pretty good” about The Pitt’s chances of taking home the big trophy. “We’re coming into next year’s Emmys as the frontrunner,” he joked. Pop star Olivia Rodrigo was seen atthe party chatting it up with White Lotus star Sam Nivola and his girlfriend, Iris Apatow. Rodrigo wasn’t the only pop star in attendance: Lisa, the White Lotus star and member of K-pop megagroup “Blackpink,” was also in attendance, mingling with fellow cast members at their reserved table.
The Pitt’s cast members arrived a little later to the party, but were jubilant from their big wins. Katherine LaNasa, who had an upset victory for supporting actress in a drama, said she was “still in shock” and “couldn’t wait for people to see the next season.” Somebody Somewhere winner Jeff Hiller, another big surprise, admitted that he didn’t have anything prepared going into the awards ceremony—but he “recycled some jokes from podcasts” to make up for it.
The celebration felt akin to an old-school house party, with different rooms carrying different themes and food to choose from. Tucked away behind one of the main rooms was a tiki bar, where The Rehearsal crew hung out with Nathan Fielder. Upon leaving the party, guests were able to snag a smashburger and fries while they waited for their cars. Perpetual Emmy winner John Oliver and his wife took advantage, snatching some up before heading home after a long night.
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