Anthony Anderson Opened Emmy Awards With TV Theme Medley

Anthony Anderson treated the audience to a medley of classic TV theme tunes as he kicked off the Emmy Awards on Monday (15.01.24).

The 'Black-ish' actor declared he "loves television" as he opened the ceremony and was joined by musicians including Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker as he took viewers for a trip down memory lane in honour of the event's milestone 75th year.

He declared at the beginning of his opening monologue: "I love television. Simply put, television has shaped the world and more importantly shaped me...

"We’re going to commemorate the greatest shows of today by paying tribute to some of the iconic series that mean so much to us."

Among the songs included in his montage were 'Good Times', 'The Facts of Life', and 'In the Air Tonight' in tribute to 'Miami Vice', on which he was joined by Travis.

He recently-divorced actor quipped: "Hey, Travis. You can play at my wedding, man. You missed the first one. The second."

Anthony played the songs on piano, and was accompanied by a "small, diverse and inclusive" choir from Compton, which featured one white man among a group of Black men and women.

The host joked: “Fun fact: Kevin Costner is from Compton. I wonder if he was a Crip or a Blood. Hm, who knows?”

He then did a hand signal and shouted: “‘Yellowstone’!!”

The 53-year-old star later revealed there wouldn't be any play-off music if the acceptance speeches at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles ran on too long because it was easy for the winners to ignore it.

He explained: "This year I've got something no one can ignore: My mama.

"When you see my mama coming, just thank Jesus and your family and wrap it up."

His mom Doris - who warned numerous stars during the ceremony that they were speaking for too long - then stood up and urged him to end his opening monologue.

She warned him: “Anthony! Shut up! Watch your mouth, I want to go to the afterparty. Time's up, baby. Cut to the chase."