John Oliver was cut off in the middle of an emotional speech about his dog at the Emmys, and the producers have now apologized.
While accepting the award for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series, Oliver began an emotional tribute to his late dog.
Watch the moment below:Just as he started speaking about the pet’s passing, the play-off music - used to signal when speeches have run long - began to play.
“I also want to thank—this is going to be very silly—our dog,” Oliver said, as the music started to rise.
“We had the most fantastic dog. She was at our wedding, and she got us through the pandemic. She was with us through the two pregnancies.”
As the music grew louder, Oliver responded sarcastically: “Perfect choice of music. We had to say goodbye to her.”
In a moment that quickly went viral, Oliver yelled: “F**k you!”, bringing a brief halt to the music and allowing him to finish his tribute.
“I feel like Sarah McLachlan right now,” Oliver continued, referring to the singer known for her emotional animal rescue commercials.
He continued: “She was an amazing dog. Ouch. This isn’t just for her - this is for all dogs. You’re all very good girls. You’re very good boys. You all deserve a treat. Play me off now.”
In response to the mishap, Emmy producers have since issued an apology, acknowledging they wouldn’t have started the music had they known the context of Oliver’s tribute.
Producer Jesse Collins, in an interview with TheWrap, said: “I apologize to John and his family for playing the music - and the dog. We turned it off at his request and turned it back on when he said he wanted to be played off.”
Executive producer Dionne Harmon echoed the sentiment in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, clarifying that the team had no idea Oliver was referring to a pet that had passed away.
“If you look back, you’ll notice that we turned the music down the moment he said the dog had passed. We didn’t know!” she explained.
Harmon also noted that the production team had shared “funny moments” with Oliver in previous years regarding his acceptance speeches and the play-off music.
Harmon added: “We didn’t know where he was going with it, but it seemed like he was a good sport. We never want to have to play people off.”