Succession creator Jesse Armstrong raised eyebrows when he made a controversial joke about King Charles III at the 2022 Emmy Awards.
The British screenwriter poked fun at the new monarch while accepting the award for Outstanding Drama Series on Monday night.
King Charles III ascended to the throne last week, following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
During his acceptance speech, Jesse said it had been “a big week for successions.”
“New King in the UK… evidently a bit more voting involved in our winning than Prince Charles,” he continued.
Succession star Brian Cox, who plays Logan Roy in the series, then interjected: “Keep it royalist, keep it royalist.”
Jesse then added: “I’m not saying we’re more legitimate than that position—we’ll leave that to other people. We are incredibly grateful to have this wonderful honour.”
anti monarchist king jesse armstrong pic.twitter.com/Tim9sydOBD
— clara 🤍 (@kendallroyz) September 13, 2022
According to reports, Jesse’s joke attracted audible gasps from the Emmys audience.
An eyewitness told E! News: “It seemed most people felt it was in poor taste. It was just very awkward.”
Check out the full list of winners at the 2022 Emmy Awards here.
