Move over, Emmys hand sanitizer statue, there’s a brand new (vaguely dystopian) meme taking over awards show Twitter. Yes, after just an hour — and it’s all thanks to Ramy star Ramy Youssef.
At the beginning of the 2020 Emmys, host Jimmy Kimmel stressed the fact that 100 drivers would be racing around the world trying to ensure safe, socially distanced Emmy statue delivery to winners during the COVID-19 era. That sentence suggested each nominee had a corresponding driver at the ready just in case they won their respective category. ABC also hinted at this plan on Friday, confirming driving presenters would be wearing tuxedo hazmat suits designed by costumer Katja Cahill and executive producer Guy Carrington, Variety reported. In a pre-taped bit during the award show, comedian Jo Koy trained various Emmys “interns” in the intense art of speed racing to fulfill this Fast and the Furious-esque award show demand.
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Ramy’s Youssef revealed Kimmel and Koy weren’t joking about the dozens of statue chauffeurs and their intense safety gear (even if Koy didn’t prepare them himself). Following Youssef’s loss for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series to Schitt’s Creek star Eugene Levy, the Ramy actor posted a video of a hazmat-suited presenter standing directly outside the glass door to his home. Youssef’s prospective statue is cradled in the presenter’s right hand. With his left hand, the presenter waves and walks away, taking the statue with him. As journalist Max Weiss joked, the scene is Seinfeld's “No soup for you!” quote made for our times.
when you lose the emmy pic.twitter.com/ECkbGcoHBA
— ramy youssef (@ramy) September 21, 2020
In the background of Youseff’s video, you can hear a woman laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
Weiss wasn’t the only one joking about Youseff’s video. “Literally every nom not on #SchittsCreek,” wrote one Twitter user, pointing out the Pop TV comedy’s early series of wins during Emmys night. All Youseff’s home network of Hulu could say was, “Omg.”
Literally every nom not on #SchittsCreek #Emmy https://t.co/jlmA1oQ1pE
— Carole Says Vote (@CAngel0) September 21, 2020
omg
— Hulu (@hulu) September 21, 2020
For now, Youssef is the sole nominee posting videos of the statue drivers and their apocalyptic hazmat suits. But, as more Emmys are won and lost — and Youssef's rakes in more likes — it’s unlikely he will be the last.