By Danielle Broadway
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actor Anthony Anderson is set to host the 75th annual Primetime Emmys on Jan. 15 after the ceremony was delayed due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes.
Anderson’s lead role as Andre on the ABC comedy “Black-ish” and his executive producer position on the show garnered 11 Primetime Emmy Award nominations in recent years.
The Emmys were originally slated to air on Fox on Sept. 18, and nominations for the highest honors in television were announced in July, just before actors followed Hollywood writers and went on strike.
“With our industry’s recent challenges behind us, we can get back to what we love — dressing up and honoring ourselves. And there’s no better celebratory moment to bring the creative community together than the milestone 75th Emmy Awards,” Anderson said in a statement.
“When FOX asked me to host this historic telecast, I was over the moon that Taylor Swift was unavailable, and now I can’t wait to be part of the biggest night in television,” he added.
The ceremony will take place live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT (0100 GMT on Jan. 16) at the Peacock Theater, in the L.A. Live complex in downtown Los Angeles.
Allison Wallach, president of unscripted programming at Fox Entertainment, believes Anderson is the “natural fit” for the job because of his experience hosting “We Are Family,” a music game show that Anderson took over from fellow actor Jamie Foxx.
“Anthony’s known for his humor, heart and spontaneity, so he’s sure to give audiences in the theater and at home a night they’ll never forget,” she said.
Anderson is also known for roles in the films “Kangaroo Jack” and “Transformers.”
(Reporting by Danielle Broadway, Dawn Chmielewski and Samrhitha Arunasalam; Editing by Mary Milliken and Jonathan Oatis)
