by Jeroslyn JoVonn
January 12, 2024
When Anthony Anderson hosts the 75th annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, Jan. 15, he’ll get a little help from his mom, Doris Bowman.
When Anthony Anderson hosts the 75th annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, Jan. 15, he’ll get some help from his mother, Doris Bowman.
“I can’t host the Emmys without having Mama Doris on the stage with me, so we’re finding some smart ways to incorporate her into the show,” Anderson told People.
Bowman, 70, will have a special role. She’ll fill in for the music that typically plays when a winner gets long-winded with their acceptance speech, coming out to nudge them off stage.
“As opposed to having playoff music for when people run over on their speech, my mother appears on stage just tapping her wrist and her watch like, ‘Speed this s— up, speed it up, because I want to be out of here by 11,’” Anderson joked.
The black-ish star has been helping his mother get some shine of her own through their E! documentary travel series Trippin’ With Anthony Anderson and Mama Doris. Anderson even told BLACK ENTERPRISE about the playful relationship he has with his mother who never fails to remind him who the real star of the family is.
Now that she’s become a fan favorite herself, Anderson is looking forward to seeing his mom sprinkle some of her comedic charm on the Emmys audience.
“So we’re going to see what kind of fun we can have without stepping on anyone’s toes, because we know people have points to make, thank-yous to make and mission statements to make during an acceptance speech,” he explained. “We have to be courteous to all the other nominees and actors who may be winning that night and courteous to the audience members who are watching at home.”
As for who Anderson is rooting for, the seven-time Emmy nominee took a page out of Issa Rae’s book.
“I’m rooting for everybody Black, but I’m rooting for everybody. It’s hard to do what we do. There is a science and there is a craft to it,” he said. “I’m just excited to be at the helm hosting one of the biggest nights in Hollywood.”
Black nominees include Quinta Brunson, Dominique Fishback, Ayo Edebiri, Janelle James, and Sheryl Lee Ralph. Keke Palmer and Storm Reid already took home statues at last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
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