Television’s biggest night may be scaled back once again after Los Angeles experiences spikes in COVID-19 cases. After announcing that this year’s award ceremony will have a limited red carpet, the Emmys have also announced that there will be limited seating for nominees on September 19, as well as for the Creative Arts ceremony on September 11 and 12, via Deadline.
This means that tickets for nominees will be limited to four per nominee. The ceremony will also implement an indoor/outdoor and socially-distanced seating arrangement, similar to this year’s Grammy Awards. CBS will hold all ceremonies on the Event Deck at L.A. Live, behind the Microsoft Theater. The event was set to be in the Microsoft Theater.
“Unfortunately, this means not all nominees will be able to attend this year’s awards,” the Academy said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. However, officials will not be cutting down the guest list as it is up to the nominated teams to decide who will be attending the event. This means that not all nominees will be able to attend the event, and it will be up to the team to decide who comes before they RSVP.
Shows with numerous nominations across categories will have the most trouble deciding who gets to attend the ceremony. These shows include Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Disney+’s WandaVision and The Mandalorian, NBC’s Saturday Night Live, and Apple TV’s Ted Lasso — all with 20 or more nominations.
More concerns come as coronavirus cases continue to rise due to the delta variant. “The health and safety of our nominees is of paramount importance,” the Academy continued in their statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “Conversations are ongoing, and we will provide further information as it is available.”
The Emmys will air September 19 on CBS with Cedric the Entertainer set to host.