Emmys: Inside This Weekend’s A-List Parties (Updating)

Just eight months after the last round of Emmy celebrations — with the 2023 show pushed to January following the strikes — Hollywood is back at it, toasting this year’s top TV talents all across town. The agencies kicked things off on Thursday and Friday, while Saturday will see the toasts carrying on and the studios will close out Sunday with their respective afterparties.

Here’s an inside look at this year’s festivities, as The Hollywood Reporter‘s staffers hit the biggest events across Los Angeles. Keep checking back for the latest.

BAFTA TV Tea Party

Party: BAFTA North America’s TV Tea on Saturday, Sept. 14

Players: Jodie Foster, Quinta Brunson, Bowen Yang, Joshua Jackson, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jessica Gunning, Lisa Ann Walter, Mark Duplass, Nava Mau, Richard Gadd, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Nikki Glaser, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ncuti Gatwa, Jonathan Pryce, Walton Goggins, Tom Hollander, Ella Purnell, Cosmo Jarvis, Takehiro Hira, Keegan-Michael Key, Noah Hawley, Alex Edelman, Tyler James Williams, Zoe Lister-Jones, Benedict Wong and Matt Berry.

Place: The Maybourne Beverly Hills 

Served: Tray-passed bites including tuna cones, mini tacos, croquettes and jam and cream biscuits, along with (fittingly) an assortment of teas and coffee. For those looking for something stronger, three signature cocktails featuring Johnnie Walker Blue Label and Tanqueray Gin.

Inside Dish: The classic mid-day event returned after a four-year hiatus, celebrating both this year’s British nominees as well as talent from around the world. BBC Studios productions including Baby Reindeer, Doctor Who and The Gentlemen were highlighted with a special step-and-repeat backdrop, where Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning, Nava Mau, Tom Goodman-Hill and Ncuti Gatwa posed for photos; the Abbott Elementary crew including Quinta Brunson, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Tyler James Williams also kept close, while Bowen Yang, Joshua Jackson, Walton Goggins and Jodie Foster made the rounds in the The Maybourne’s outdoor terrace.

THR and SAG-AFTRA’s Emmy Nominees Night

Party: Emmy Nominees Night, co-hosted by The Hollywood Reporter and SAG-AFTRA on Friday, Sept. 13

Players: Shogun’s Tadanobu Asano, Moeka Hoshi, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Anna Sawai; Baby Reindeer’s Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning, Tom Goodman-Hill and Nava Mau; Lucia Aniello, Alex Borstein, Quinta Brunson, Amber Chardae Robinson, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Liza Colón-Zayas, Paul W. Downs, Mark Duplass, Alex Edelman, Nikki Glaser, Harvey Guillén, Noah Hawley, Devery Jacobs, Tyler James Williams, Aja Naomi King, Chris Perfetti, Karen Pittman, Kali Reis, William Stanford Davis, Jen Statsky, Lisa Ann Walter, Malin Akerman, Selma Blair, Sherry Cola, Heidi Klum, Trace Lysette, Lisa Rinna and Lilly Singh.

Place: Stanley II mansion

Served: Tray-passed appetizers and a charcuterie spread, as well as handouts of Shake Shack’s Black Truffle Burger and Black Truffle Parmesan Fries. A bar menu featured several options from Heineken and a trio of themed Glenfiddich cocktails, appropriately named “City of Stars,” “Red Carpet Cocktail” and “The FYC.”

Inside Dish: The celebration, sponsored by Glenfiddich, Heineken and Shake Shack, kicked off Emmys weekend in star-studded style, with appearances from the stars (and nominees) of Shogun, Baby Reindeer, Abbott Elementary and Reservation Dogs. Inside the event, early arrivals including Quinta Brunson, Selma Blair, Nikki Glaser, Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley and Shogun‘s Tadanobu Asano took in the 270-degree sights of the city from the house’s living room, featuring an infinity pool for prime photo-taking, while Richard Gadd stopped for selfies, Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada made the rounds and Reservation Dogs co-stars D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai and Devery Jacobs kept close.

WME

Party: WME Emmy party on Friday, Sept. 13

Players: Kevin Costner, Larry David, Brett Goldstein, Brie Larson, Finneas O’Connell, Alex Edelman, Rachel Sennott, Javier Bardem, Noah Centineo, Eve Hewson, Matty Matheson, Questlove, Anna Sawai, Michael Gandolfini, Zachary Quinto, Bobby Berk, Rhett and Link, Lilly Singh, Chris Kelly, Emily Hampshire, Rachel Bloom, Joanna Calo, Christine Ko, Alan Yang, and Dan Fogelman, as along with execs David Zaslav, Casey Bloys, Channing Dungey, Richard Weitz and Christian Muirhead.

Place: Roof at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills

Served: Sashimi, spicy tuna on crispy rice and chicken samosas; signature cocktails included the Hollywood Highball made with Johnnie Walker Blue Label, and The Primetime ginger margarita made with Don Julio Reposado.

Inside Dish: Comic Alex Edelman schmoozed with Emily Hampshire, while The Bear‘s Matty Matheson caught up with YouTubers Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal and Noah Centineo made a point of saying hi to Queer Eye alum Bobby Burke. Making the rounds, David Zaslav was spotted with Channing Dungey, while Larry David and wife Ashley Underwood did the same. Over by the pool, Jacqueline Novak, Meredith Scardino and Pearlena Igbokwe chatted with agents and producers.

UTA

Party: UTA‘s Emmy celebration on Friday, Sept. 13

Players: Nominated clients including Dakota Fanning, Nicole Beharie, Jeff Schaffer, Derek Tsang, Jonathan Van Ness, Hiro Murai, Ron Nyswaner and Michael Schur, as well as Tracee Ellis Ross, Adam Scott, Jessica Gunning, Courtney B. Vance, Aaron Paul, Cord Jefferson, Steve Levitan, Ke Huy Quan, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Jay Ellis, Bert Kreischer, William Jackson Harper, Sam Richardson, Alok Vaid-Menon, Emmanuel Acho, Antony Starr, Gaten Matarazzo, Will Gluck, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Vanessa Lachey, Heather McMahan, Julianne Hough, Tig Notaro, Timothy Olyphant, John Bradley, Adam Shankman, Steven Levitan, HBO‘s Casey Bloys, Miramax’s Jonathan Glickman and Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav and UTA board member and head of television Matt Rice.

Place: Sunset Tower

Served: Bites from the Sunset Tower menu, with drinks courtesy of Johnnie Walker Blue Label and Peroni Nastro Azzuro.

Inside Dish: A vest-less David Zaslav made the rounds, as Casey Bloys was all but swarmed by agents and producers. The FX crew, including Nick Grad, was riding high as partygoers doled out congratulations or its early Emmy haul. Also in attendance: NBC’s Lisa Katz, former Comedy Central boss Kent Alterman, actor Max Greenfield, star Patrick Schwarzenegger, Winning Time showrunner Max Borenstein and more. Fresh off his San Vicente Bungalows run, Dimitri Dimitrov was back on hand as Tower Bar’s majordomo.

Performer Nominee Celebration

Party: Emmys Performer Nominee Celebration on Friday, Sept. 13

Players: Dakota Fanning; Tig Notaro; Joely Fisher; Shogun’s Yuki Kedoin and Haruno Niiyama; The Bear’s Liza Colón-Zayas; Abbott Elementary’s Lisa Ann Walter, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Tyler James Williams and William Stanford Davis; Baby Reindeer’s Richard Gadd, Nava Mau and Tom Goodman-Hill and his wife Jessica Raine; The Morning Show’s Mark Duplass and his wife Katie Aselton; Only Murders in the Building’s Michael Cyril Creighton; True Detective: Night Country’s Kali Reis; Reservation Dogs’ Devery Jacobs; Dancing with the Stars’ Elisabetta Canalis; and Love on the Spectrum’s Abbey Romeo, David Isaacson and Dani Bowman.

Place: The Wallis

Served: Paellas, both the vegan and meat varieties, served with a lemon aioli, were standout dishes among guests who also formed a manageable line around the sushi station near the back of the venue. Passed hors d’oeuvres included black cod lettuce wraps, steak and lobster tacos, tomato bruschetta and meatballs. Strawberry panna cotta and dark chocolate Belgium bites supplemented a cookie station for dessert. A Johnnie Walker bar served the spirit sponsor which was also featured in the specialty cocktail: the Hollywood highball. Wine sponsors Justin and Franciacorta poured freely while the bartenders kept the lines at the open bars moving quickly.

Inside Dish: The crop of actors in attendance, who were notably interview-shy on the red carpet, were equally hesitant to draw attention to themselves during the party held on the outdoor terrace of The Wallis. Emmy nominee Sheryl Lee Ralph had to coax her peers into coming onstage for a group photo and toast initiated by Television Academy chairman Cris Abrego, specifically calling out Tig Notaro and Liza Colón-Zayas. That was, perhaps, the flashiest moment of the otherwise casual evening, during which actors and other industry insiders mingled amongst themselves against a backdrop of live jazz music.

Despite racking up an impressive number of awards at last week’s creative arts Emmys, Shogun talent was absent from the red carpet. However, actors Yuki Kedoin and Haruno Niiyama arrived at the party near 8:30 p.m. Baby Reindeer writer, creator and star Richard Gadd and a guest trickled in not long after. Lisa Ann Walter, who previously told THR that Abbott Elementary creator Quinta Brunson runs her love interests on the show by her in advance, turned the question back on reporters when asked if she’s put in any personal requests for next season. “Who should I ask for,” she posited, “a Hemsworth?” — Brande Victorian

Tory Burch x Glamour

Party: The fashion designer and women’s magazine teamed to celebrate women in television with a luncheon hosted by Glamour’s editor-in-chief Samantha Barry.

Players: Joining Barry and Glamour’s Jessica Radloff were Allison Janney, Quinta Brunson, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Awkwafina, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Eve Hewson, Leslie Bibb, Louisa Jacobson, Aja Naomi King, Hannah Einbinder, Louisa Jacobson, Marcia Gay Harden, Michelle Monaghan, Karey Burke, Channing Dungey, Michelle Lee, Beatrice Springborn, Sarah Aubrey, Phillipa Soo, Alyah Chanelle Scott, Alison Lee Cerrilla and more.

Place: Soho House Holloway

Served: Arugula salad with stone fruit, lemon vinaigrette, pepitas and beets, red snapper and tres leches for dessert.

Inside Dish: All the attendees were decked out in looks by Tory Burch, fresh from presenting at New York Fashion Week last week. Barry offered a toast and brief remarks at the annual chic to-do. “At Glamour, we believe in celebrating those who are not just part of the television industry but are reshaping it,” she said.

Threads by Instagram’s AAPI Emmy Nominees Event

Party: Nominees Bowen Yang and Anna Sawai teamed with Threads for an intimate cocktail event to toast the AAPI community and this year’s nominees on Friday, Sept. 13.

Players: Ross Butler, Jimmy O. Yang, Benedict Wong, Poppy Liu, Shirley Chen, Sarayu Blue, Ali Ahn, Justin Marks, Jeanne Mai, Brandon Soo Hoo, Sherry Cola, Moeka Hoshi, Jane Wu, Aileen Wu, Fiona Rene, Lin Yin, Asif Ali, Andrew Ahn, Justin Chien, Anirudh Pisharody, Christine Ko, Rachel Kondo, Brenda Hsueh, Zoe Cipres, Kahyun Kim, Jess Hong and more. 

Place: Here’s Looking at You

Served: Everything from a raw bar with oysters, shrimp and crab to white-frosted cookies featuring the Threads logo.

Inside Dish: The event kicked off with a welcome toast from Meta’s director of creator partnerships Catherine Coddington followed by lively remarks from Yang and Sawai that had the crowd in stitches.

Gersh

Party: Gersh’s pre-Emmys celebration on Thursday, Sept. 12

Players: Agents like Bob, David, Bill and Steven Gersh, Leslie Siebert, Nick Collins, Daisy Wu, Alex Yarosh and Abram Nalibotsky celebrated their Emmy nominees Hiroyuki Sanada, D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai, Aja Naomi King, Tyler James Williams, Stephanie Allynne (with Tig Notaro), Bellamie Blackstone, Hugh Wright and others. Gersh talent and celebrities on the scene included Kaley Cuoco, Tom Pelphrey, Jensen Ackles, Josh Hutcherson, Ariana Madix, Haley Lu Richardson, Jon Voight, Archie Punjabi, Clark Gregg, Lisa Edelstein, Mekhi Phifer, Sara Gilbert, Stephen Root, Y’lan Noel, Meg Donnelly and Drake Rodger.

Place: Juniper Lounge and Garden at 1 Hotel West Hollywood

Served: Props to party planners for custom cocktails inspired by Gersh client’s nominated projects like the Shogun Spritz (Ketel One, cucumber, lemon with Fever Tree club soda), Rez Dogs Daquiri (Ron Zacapa Rum, Jamaican #1 bitters, pineapple and lime), The Scientific Method (Don Julio Blanco, cucumber, lemon, Fever Tree club soda), and Elementary Old Fashioned (Johnnie Walker Black Label, bitters and sugar).

Inside Dish: Gersh, we missed you. The agency returned to the Emmy weekend party circuit after a seven-year absence (but who’s counting?) with a lively and chic affair on the Sunset Strip. As a matter of fact, David Gersh revealed that the 1 Hotel made it even more special by opening up the entire terrace and courtyard below street level for a fully outdoor bash for the first time ever. “We had so many Emmy nominees this year so we wanted to support them,” David told THR of the return. “The company is doing well, and we’re excited about what’s ahead.” He could’ve easily been talking about Shogun star Sanada, who is beyond stoked for what’s to come with a slew of nominations for the FX hit. He spent much of the evening swarmed by well-wishers ahead of what is likely to be a golden Sunday. “I’m looking forward to the reunion with our cast and crew this weekend,” he said. “I’m so happy for them and so proud of them.” Asked how he’s going to maintain the momentum over the next 72 hours, Sanada, a veteran actor who has been working since he was a kid, said, “Maybe less drinks and just trying to be natural and have fun. That’s the only way for me.” Over his shoulder, The White Lotus star Sabrina Impacciatore offered a little advice, speaking from a place of experience. “I’m telling everybody who is nominated, you shouldn’t care about winning because your work has already been noticed at the highest level, and that’s already a victory,” she said, before asking to check the clock due to an early 4:30 a.m. call time for work on the new iteration of The Office. Though she was about to dash off into the night, she kept the focus on gratitude, just like her advice. “We’re exploring things, and we know the expectations are very high, but I don’t want to think about that pressure,” she said. “I keep thanking the universe every day for this time. I’m deeply grateful.”