The winners have been revealed, the trophies handed out, and the acceptance speeches have been delivered. But that’s not the end of the story for the 2025 Emmys. Vanity Fair’s Rebecca Ford and John Ross were inside the Peacock Theater for the ceremony and roaming the afterparties once the last prize was handed out (to HBO Max’s The Pitt), spying all the celebrity interactions that didn’t make it onto your TV.
Look below to learn which afterparty had the most dancing, who was caught walking barefoot out of the theater, and which winner had nothing prepared for an acceptance speech—but made up for it by recycling old podcast jokes.
A Blast from the Past During Commercials
During commercial breaks, the audience in the Peacock Theater was shown “Emmy flashback” clips—some of the most memorable moments from previous years. The list included Meryl Streep’s 2004 Emmy acceptance speech for Angels in America, in which she said, “There are some days when I myself think I’m overrated—but not today.” The audience also saw Alan Alda’s 1979 cartwheel and 2011, when Amy Poehler orchestrated a lovely idea: having all her fellow nominees, including Melissa McCarthy, Tina Fey, Edie Falco, and Laura Linney, join her on stage before the category’s result was announced. (The winner was McCarthy.) These clips reminded the audience how impactful a great acceptance speech can be—and maybe gave this year’s group of future winners some inspiration before they took the stage.
Cheesy Concessions
The cheesiest thing about the Emmys, in our opinion, is the concessions sold in the lobby. The lines are always horrendous, and the offerings range from nachos to hot dogs. Because that’s exactly what you want to eat when wearing your black tie finest. To quench your thirst, you have to choose between cans of beer. or cans of wine. But in a fun twist, there’s no VIP section—which means that nominees are standing in line like the rest of us. Among them on Sunday night was leading Chef’s Tom Colicchio. Can’t imagine what he thinks of this food.
Lobby Hob-Nobbing
After the first hour of the show, the lobby at the Emmys starts to get crowded. By this point in the slow, a good portion of the nominees have lost and are ready to let loose a bit more—while others are just really hungry because they haven’t eaten all day. Shrinking’s Brett Goldstein was there, surrounded by fans, and The White Lotus siblings Sam Nivola and Sarah Catherine Hook were munching on popcorn and chatting in the corner. Taika Waititi ran up to give What We Do in the Shadows star Harvey Guillén a quick hug. Guillén bought Red Vines at the snack area, while Sirens nominee Meghann Fahy and a friend grabbed a can of chilled red wine after posing for a photo with a fan.
A Rush to the Stage, and a Barefoot Exit
When The Pitt was announced as the final winner of the night (for drama series), a few members of that team must not have been expecting the announcement. We spotted them running down the aisle from the lobby to join the rest of their team onstage; they made it in time, but it’s the fastest we’ve ever seen someone run in that room. Separately, when the show ended, The Bear’s Molly Gordon was spotted leaving the theater without shoes on. Quite brave to walk those downtown Los Angeles streets barefoot!
Having a Ball
Right after the show, winners, nominees, and other partygoers make their way to the Governors Ball. This year’s event had different food stations set up by former leading Chef competitors. Along with getting a bite to eat or a drink, winners take this opportunity to get their names added to their new hardware at an engraving station. Adolescence star Owen Cooper, who won the lead actor in a special series award, went over with his mom, grabbing his phone out of her purse and taking a photo of the decorative giant Emmy statuette. His parents accepted a free bottle of Johnny Walker Blue on his behalf. (Cooper is just 15.) His Adolescence co-star Stephen Graham arrived a bit later at the station; while Graham was waiting for one of his three trophies to be finished, he was dancing along to “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” with his son.
On the way from the ceremony to the Ball, Severance Emmy winner Tramell Tillman couldn’t take more than two steps without being stopped and congratulated by fans, as well as TV Academy members who asked for photos and told him they had voted for him. His co-star Dichen Lachman, who plays Gemma on the show, ran up to him to give him a hug.
As Graham left the Governor’s Ball, he ran into fellow winner Noah Wyle and congratulated him profusely, telling the other actor, “Your performance was beautiful.” Graham spoke in detail to Wyle, specifically about the scene in which Dr. Robby has a breakdown. (No spoilers here!) While the two actors chatted, their respective spouses hugged and got to know one another.
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