The top 25 Emmy hosts of all time

1987 was a solid year for Bruce Willis. Not only did he successfully host the 39th Primetime Emmys, but he also took an award home. Although it may come as a surprise to our younger viewers, Willis once starred on the ABC undercover detective series “Moonlighting,” and he won an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy for his role as David Addison Jr. Willis also won an Emmy in 2000 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his brief role on “Friends.”

Steve Allen didn’t blow anyone away with his co-hosting gigs in 1955 and 1980 (alongside Dave Garroway and Dick Clark, respectively), but the first host of “The Tonight Show” not only deserves a spot on this list for getting asked to host twice but also for doing so in events 25 years apart. How’s that for staying relevant?

Younger viewers and fans of Andy Samberg generally liked his turn hosting the Emmys in 2015. Those who don’t like his zany, immature humor likely didn’t care for the silly host — and a lot of older viewers didn’t even know who the former “SNL” cast member was. Nevertheless, that’s good enough for a spot on this list.

Alan Alda fared well enough when hosting the 30th Primetime Emmys in 1978, but he’d end up overshadowing that performance with what he did the very next year. After winning an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy for the “M*A*S*H” episode titled “Inga,” the 42-year-old proceeded to cartwheel down the aisle on his way to the stage.

Critics and fans were divided over Jane Lynch’s 2011 Emmy hosting performance, with some saying she held her own, while others claimed her comedy and personality didn’t translate to an awards show format. Still, she fared much better than a lot of other past hosts, and that earned her a spot in this slideshow.

Danny Thomas might be the best co-host in Emmys history. He helmed the event four separate times: in 1956, 1958, 1965 and 1970, each time with a different co-host. Over the years, the comedian, singer and actor shared the stage with Art Linkletter, Phil Silvers, Sammy Davis Jr. and David Frost.

Ed Sullivan is now regarded as one of the greatest and longest-running television hosts of all time, but back in 1954 he had been hosting “The Ed Sullivan Show” for only six years. In fact, it was still called “The Toast of the Town” at the time and wouldn’t be renamed for another year. Sullivan’s Emmys turn was solid — even though, as usual, he wasn’t energetic or emotional, and he didn’t sing, dance or act. He simply knew how to host, let stars shine and appeal to viewers of all ages with his average-man personality. As comedian Alan King once put it: “Ed does nothing, but he does it better than anyone else in television.”

Dick Clark could host anything, be it radio shows, music shows, game shows, talent shows, talk shows, New Year's shows or, of course, award shows. Clark knocked it out of the park in 1980, which was probably helped by the fact that he was already quite familiar with the event; he won the first of his five career Emmys the previous year.

Paul Reiser didn’t quite connect with viewers during his 1996 turn at hosting the Emmys, and co-host Oprah Winfrey’s lack of humor caused her to strike out completely. But the other member of this hosting trio, Michael J. Fox, is still routinely praised for his performance. And just think of what he could have accomplished if this had been a solo gig.

Has Bob Newhart ever attempted to do something funny and failed? We don’t think so, and this includes his oft-forgotten turn at hosting the 14th Primetime Emmys all the way back in 1962, alongside Johnny Carson and David Brinkley.

Although he shared hosting duties with Candice Bergen and Jane Pauley and didn’t even get to perform a formal opening monologue, Jay Leno still received positive reviews for his work at the Emmys in 1990. Leno, a seasoned standup comedian, sprinkled plenty of jokes throughout the broadcast and made Bergen and Pauley look better in the process.

Comedy fans had high hopes for Stephen Colbert when he was handed the Emmy reins in 2017, and he ended up performing about as well as expected. After opening with a strong song-and-dance number titled "Everything is Better on TV," the late-night host launched into plenty of timely jokes about President Donald Trump. This included a suggestion that Trump wouldn't have run for office if he had won an Emmy for "The Apprentice," quipping, "I thought you loved morally compromised anti-heroes. You like Walter White. He's just Walter Much Whiter." Colbert lost some steam as the event progressed, but he still gained a spot on this list. 

David Letterman’s hosting of the 38th Emmy Awards alongside Shelley Long received mixed reviews from critics, mostly due to the fact that, in Dave’s own words, “I don’t sing. I don’t dance. I don’t like to be near anybody who does.” But for those who watch the Emmys for just the actual awards and the jokes, Letterman was perfect. He didn’t kiss up to any celebrities, networks, or the showrunners behind the event itself — and he played something of a cynic throughout. When Jimmy Kimmel gave a similarly wry (yet successful) performance decades later, people credited Letterman for paving the way.

Dennis Miller was plenty funny as the host of the 1991 Emmys (even though the event later became best known for Gilbert Gottfried’s riff on Pee Wee Herman, which had to be censored for the West Coast broadcast). In fact, Miller was so good that he was asked him to return in 1992. The only catch? He’d have to share the stage with Tim Allen and Kirstie Alley that year.

On the surface Eddie Murphy and Joan Rivers couldn’t appear more different. But both were incredibly talented, foul-mouthed comedians in their prime, at the time of the 35th Emmys in 1983, and that showed on stage. Their chemistry was first discovered when the two worked together on “Saturday Night Live” earlier that year, and although pairing them together for an entire Emmys broadcast was a bit of a gamble, it totally paid off.

In 1952 both Lucy and Ricky hosted the Emmys, as the two had recently won over American audiences with the first season of “I Love Lucy.” Of course their chemistry was perfect, and fans would continue to see (and enjoy) the couple on television together for a long time to come. Lucy, as usual, was the more entertaining of the two — but every classic comedic duo needs someone to play the straight man.

When Dick Van Dyke was asked to host the Emmys in 1968, he had just finished wrapping up his eponymous show (which ran for five seasons) and was already seen as America’s dad. Daddy didn’t disappoint, as he brought all of the charm and humor for which the 93-year-old is still known. In fact, he even outcharmed and outshined his blue-eyed, crooner co-host. What was his name? Frank something.

Seth Meyers definitely had his doubters prior to the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2014, as some questioned whether the understated and sometimes reserved comedian could handle the big stage. But as he proved with his writing on “SNL” and in his current job hosting “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” he can be very, very funny, and he picked all the right fights that night. In fact, he was good enough to earn another hosting invite in 2018 — not for the Emmys but for the Golden Globes.

Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Emmys in 2012 and had viewers in the palm of his hand right from the hilarious cold open (mostly remembered for a nude and pixelated Lena Dunham). He parlayed this successful gig into another turn in 2016, which began with an equally hilarious opening bit showing Kimmel attempting to make it to the Emmys by hitching rides with various stars. As anyone who watches his talk show can attest, Kimmel is a master of making fun of people without coming off like a jerk or someone who is trying too hard.

Although the late Garry Shandling made a name for himself back in the early ‘90s, he didn’t get a chance to host the Emmys until 2000. After realizing how funny he could be in this capacity (especially with his “Survivor” skit and general skewering of celebrities, himself included), the folks behind the Emmys invited him back in 2004 — even though some viewers found his raunchy humor a bit hard to stomach. Shandling nailed it again at the 2004 event, which included a reunion with his former co-star on “The Larry Sanders Show,” Jeffrey Tambor. (Hey now!)

Jimmy Fallon can sing, dance, and crack jokes — and he’s also seemingly friends with every celebrity in Hollywood in addition to being adored by fans around the world. And in case you didn’t know from “Saturday Night Live” and his numerous late-night hosting gigs, he’s also a master of sketch comedy. (His star-studded “Born to Run” cold open at the 2010 Emmys is still one of the funniest of all time.) This successful gig was a sign of things to come, as Fallon was named the new host of “The Tonight Show” in 2014.

If Neil Patrick Harris and Jimmy Fallon can both sing, dance and tell jokes, then why did we rank the former ahead of the latter? Well, besides the fact that Harris is a slightly better singer and dancer (and a magician, to boot), NPH was also asked back for a second stint in 2013 and ended up earning the most viewers in the past decade...even if the show itself received negative reviews overall.

The man who will do anything for a laugh did so at two Emmy ceremonies, in 2002 and 2006, and earned a combined total of more than 36 million viewers. Along the way, he danced, palled around with countless actors and poked fun at plenty of relevant shows, including the Emmy Awards (especially the short-lived new voting system in 2006) and, of course, himself.

If 30 years of helming “The Tonight Show” didn’t prove that Johnny Carson could host anything, his five stints hosting the Emmys sure did. In fact, Carson was such a funny and reliable Emmy host in 1962 and the years between 1971 and 1974 that he was later asked to host the Oscars, in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1984!

After sharing the hosting duties with Patricia Richardson in 1994, Ellen DeGeneres’ strong and charming comedic performance earned her invites back for the 2001 and 2005 editions, both of which came after national tragedies (9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, respectively). As if there was any doubt that fans love the always outrageous Ellen, consider the fact that she has never failed to earn fewer than 17 million viewers at a single event. In the 24 years since her first gig, that figure has been topped only five times.