Joke-filled opening monologues are expected when the host is trying to break the tension amongst the nominees. The Primetime Emmy Awards are no different. Oftentimes, those jokes offer commentary on pop culture, and Emmys host Kenan Thompson pulled no punches early on as he landed a zinger at Zendaya's expense. Though she might have gotten roasted in the moment, she ended up a big winner that night, as she also hit an Emmys milestone for her Euphoria win.
The zinger happened as the Saturday Night Live star did his opening monologue for the awards show. The actress was among the Emmy nominees and winners last night and was sitting in the audience and enjoying her time as Thompson called her out in the celebrity-filled room with a joke linking her to Leonardo DiCaprio. The host acknowledged that Zendaya had just turned 26 years old. Given DiCaprio’s alleged cut-off age of 25 for his girlfriends, the comedian couldn’t help but point out the obvious. If you want to see how the Emmy winner reacted to the joke, check out the Twitter clip below.
“Zendaya just turned 26, happy birthday. 26 is a weird age in Hollywood. Young enough to play a high school student, but too old to date Leonardo DiCaprio.” - Kenan Thompson at the #Emmys pic.twitter.com/tnbJ3XtZ1mSeptember 13, 2022
Thompson did seem happy with landing the punchline. While the SNL star was proud of himself, Zendaya’s embarrassment shone through as she hid her face with her hands. I could almost feel her cringe through the screen.
But she didn’t remain embarrassed for a long time as she took home a trophy later in the evening. After facing fierce competition from Reese Witherspoon and Sandra Oh for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Zendaya heard her name called for a second time. Winning the award made her the youngest two-time Emmy winner in the show’s history as well as the first Black woman to win it twice. Just like her win in 2020, the actress was taken aback by the moment. You can watch a surprised Euphoria star give her emotional and grateful speech in the touching video below.
It was nice to see her thank Eupohria’s cast and crew for making her historic win possible. The moment was even sweeter as the TV and film actress shouted out to her family. Thankfully, this time, she got to do it in front of an audience rather than through a Zoom call from her home.
The DiCaprio dating jokes were bound to happen as his love life continues to play out in the media. Lots of young talent has been rumored to be on the Oscar winner’s list of potential girlfriends. Zendaya is with another star. She's been dating Tom Holland for some time now. But with sweet gestures like flying commercial to see her on the Dune Part 2 set, the Uncharted star may not have to worry about his lady love leaving him for Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor.
In terms of Thompson's joke, Leonardo DiCaprio has been tabloid fodder for weeks after it was confirmed he and longtime girlfriend Camila Morrone broke up. It appears the longtime bachelor has a history of breaking up with girlfriends once they hit the age of 25. This pattern may go back to his Titanic days as his ex-girlfriend Kristen Zang spoke about breaking up with the actor at age 25 after being on and off for years. Outside of the age aspect, Holland may not have anything to worry about as rumors have been flying about the Oscar winner hooking up with model Gigi Hadid over the summer. It was reported that DiCaprio and Hadid are just getting to know each other right now.
In addition to winning her second Emmy, Zendaya is riding high in Hollywood as Euphoria got picked up for Season 3. Maybe the next season will score the actress another Emmy. On the film front, the rising star is currently filming Dune Part 2. Until the new season premieres, check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule to see what new and returning shows are premiering this fall.
