The stars were out and the masks were off at Sunday’s 74th Emmy Awards.
Well, not every mask: Bill Hader wore a black mask during the ceremony.
The creator and star of “Barry,” which had 14 nominations, kept his mask on even as competitor and former “Saturday Night Live” colleague Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”) stopped by for a hug after winning lead actor in a comedy.
And the internet noticed, showering him with respect for his choice and, in some cases, thanks.
“Bill Hader only one in that damn building wearing a mask, my safe KING,” tweeted @chermusings.
“SOMEONE AT THE EMMYS PLEASE THANK BILL HADER ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE DISABLED COMMUNITY FOR WEARING A MASK AT THE EMMYS,” shared @hereisviolet.
Hader likely stayed on the safe side because of his autoimmune condition, which he discussed in a March interview with the Hollywood Reporter. Hader reportedly seldom left his home from March 2020 until spring 2021, when he was fully vaccinated. Even though masking was optional on the lot while filming Season 3 of “Barry,” he opted to wear his N95 mask offscreen.
“I thought, ‘If I get COVID, it’s going to cost a s— ton of money,’” he said in the article about his revved-up anxiety. “And so I was very, very strict.”
It seems he kept to that philosophy at this year’s Emmys.
“The largely in-person ceremony felt less restricted by its pandemic backdrop than the previous two years,” The Times’ Yvonne Villarreal wrote in her Emmys recap.
At last year’s ceremony, presenter Seth Rogen jokingly pointed out that the event seemed less COVID-friendly than it made itself out to be.
“Let me start by saying: There’s way too many of us in this little room. They said this was outdoors — it’s not! They lied to us,” Rogen said. “We’re in a hermetically sealed tent right now. … I would not have come to this. Why is there a roof? It’s more important that we have three chandeliers than that we make sure we don’t kill Eugene Levy tonight. That is what has been decided.”
Hader’s mask stood out enough during the ceremony that viewers took to Twitter to discuss it.
The Times’ senior entertainment writer Amy Kaufman tweeted, “Respect to Bill Hader for unabashed mask wearing at a high-profile event.”
@AshleyySpencer wrote, “Bill Hader (seated next to 76-year-old Henry Winkler) is virtually the only person in the Emmys crowd wearing a mask.”
Many commenters related to being the lone mask wearer surrounded by the maskless.
“You’re not alone if you’re masking alone,” @JuliaRaifman tweeted. “You’re masking alone alongside Bill Hader.”
@BernieDogs4 chimed in, writing, “Bill Hader is the only celebrity wearing a mask in a room full of high powered peer pressure. Let this example help you next time you feel like the weirdo. Weird is good.”
“Bill Hader as the only person wearing a mask at #Emmys2022 is super relatable,” commented @BonMotVivant.
Members of the disabled community also cheered Hader on. According to the CDC, “some people with disabilities might be more likely to get infected or have severe illness because of underlying medical conditions, congregate living settings, or systemic health and social inequities.”
@writersdelite tweeted, “Bill Hader was the ONLY one wearing a f— mask. Believe me, my multiply disabled, high risk a— noticed.”
The handle @COVID_isnotover, a Toronto-based group that describes itself as “disabled individuals and folks who still care about COVID [who] are being left behind and forced to fend for themselves,” wrote, “Bill Hader is wearing a mask at tonight’s Emmy ceremony! Thank you Bill!”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
