Jesus Christ, We’re Bleeping ‘Jesus Christ’ Now?

Tony Maglio
·5 min read

If you’re watching the 76th Emmy Awards, you’re probably thinking that Jeremy Allen White must have quite the potty mouth. On just the third category of Sunday night, we got our first acceptance-speech audio dump.

For the second year in a row, White won Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his role of Carmine Berzatto on “The Bear.” None of us were surprised by the win — it was both expected and well-deserved — but in expressing his gratitude, White let fly a set of words that ABC simply could not allow to air.

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Carmy! What the fuck! Whatever it was White said, it must have been bad. Right?

Not really. IndieWire was in the Peacock Theater (ouch re: those naming rights when the Emmys re-air Monday on Hulu) and our virgin ears are doing just fine, thank you very much. What you didn’t hear on the TV telecast, which is delayed some predetermined number of seconds for exactly these purposes, was White uttering an impromptu “Jesus Christ” during his thank yous — just, not in a thank-you type of way. It’s cool, Jesus already gets his fair share of shoutouts at these events. And either way, the dude is literally famous for his forgiveness. (The Son of God, not Jeremy Allen White — but he seems pretty chill too.)

What gives, Television Academy? The host network gives. You see, the 2024 Emmys are on ABC — the awards show rotates around the broadcast networks — which is owned by the Walt Disney Company. If you haven’t heard, Disney does not mince words as it pertains to curse words. The 76th Emmys were executive produced by Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay of Jesse Collins Entertainment.

[Editor’s note: This was no fluke audio dump — later in the show and after this story was published, “Baby Reindeer” creator Richard Gadd was also censored for a “Jesus Christ.” The only other one we caught was John Oliver uttering an actual “fuck,“ fully earning his audio dump.]

If “Jesus Christ” is bad, Disney would sure hate to hear the kind of language White uses in the FX-on-Hulu dramedy’s kitchen. Oh, wait. Disney owns the FX cable channel, “The Bear” studio FX Productions, and (now) Hulu. (FX came over in 2019 Disney paid an enormous sum of money for most of Fox’s assets. Hulu joined the family-friendly media giant in 2023 when Comcast forced Disney to buy out its one-third stake in the streamer, originally a joint venture between NBC, Fox, and ABC.)

OK, we’re giving Disney a bunch of shit, but the reality is we get it. Disney or no Disney, broadcast television is a safe space regulated by the FCC. (Cable and streaming are not, which is why they rule.) The FCC takes its rules seriously: you’ll hear all about the equal-time rule as the November election draws closer. But the primary purpose of the Federal Communications Commission is to shield us from the kind of language that you can hear literally everywhere else in media. U-S-A! U-S-A!

But still, in 2024, profanity does not fly over the actual airwaves — not even in primetime. (Late night is a lot looser.) Whether or not a rogue “Jesus Christ” in the 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT hour counts as an expletive is in the eye on the beholder, and tonight Mickey Mouse be-holding all of us hostage until about 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT. And please, not one minute longer?

Given the precedent set early on in the evening, this incident will likely not be the last time we’ll get some seconds of jarring silence during a comedy bit or an acceptance speech. It will certainly not be the last time we hear of “The Bear,” which is up for roughly a million awards.

“The Bear” entered Sunday’s celebration having already won seven categories at the Creative Arts Emmys, including guest-actor Emmys for Jon Bernthal and Jamie Lee Curtis, who both appeared in the instant-classic episode “Fishes.” The Primetime Emmys then kicked off with a trophy for Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who plays Carmy’s cousin Richie. And shortly after White’s completely inexcusable in-vain taking of our Lord and savior’s name (by now you know we’re joking — nobody cares), Liza Colón-Zayas won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her expanding roll as sous chef Tina.

If you’ve already put your impressionable children to bed, watch White’s NSFW (if you work in a monastery) speech here:

“Alright. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much,” White started his deplorable speech. “My heart is just beating right out of [my] chest. Thank you, thank you to the Academy. My fellow nominees: I’m so honored to be in your company. Chris (Storer) and [Joanna Calo], thank you for choosing me. I’m so, so, so lucky. I’m so grateful, thank you. My beautiful cast: I love you forever. I love to work with you and I just want us to be in each other’s lives forever. I love you so dearly.”

That’s when it took a turn to the occult with the “Jesus Christ” not heard ’round the world.

“This show has changed my life,” he soldiered on. “It has instilled a faith that change is possible — that change is possible if you are able to reach out you are really, truly never actually alone.”

Pretty good message — for a filthy sinner.

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