Emmy Award Winner Onstage Takes Swipe at King Charles III

Succession writer Jesse Armstrong caused a stir with an apparent dig at the British monarchy when he accepted an Emmy on Monday—quipping "more voting was involved" in his award win than in the new king's succession.

Cast member Brian Cox, who plays the king-like media mogul Logan Roy in the show – jokily warned his fellow Brit: "Keep it royalist! Keep it royalist!"

Armstrong, 51, who created and wrote the hit HBO TV series, was picking up the gong for Outstanding Drama Series and was on stage with cast and crew members when he made the pointed remark about King Charles III, who automatically ascended to the throne last week upon his mother Queen Elizabeth II's death.

He said: "Big week for Successions: new king in the U.K., this for us. Evidently a little more voting involved in our winning than [for] Prince Charles."

He turned back to look at the cast as he made his remarks, and Cox advised: "Keep it royalist, keep it royalist!"

Armstrong's words sparked some gasps and laughter, among the cast as well as in the audience, before he went on to add: "Well, I mean, I'm not saying that we're more legitimate in our position than he is, we'll leave that to other people. We are incredibly grateful to have this, it's a wonderful honor. This group is extraordinary. It's a team effort."

Newsweek reached out to Armstrong's representatives for comment.

Armstrong's show deals with themes of power, wealth and hereditary succession as the patriarch's children and heirs jostle for influence and seek to assume leadership after his death. His previous writing credits include political comedy The Thick of It and the final episode of the first series of HBO's Veep, about a fictional vice president.

Armstrong's royal joke, made just days after King Charles took the throne, sparked headlines around the world and divided opinion online.

Some supported his point about democracy, with one viewer tweeting: "Fair play to him, even in jest he's speaking for many silenced people in the UK who would prefer a democratically elected Head of State, one who pays the same taxes as the rest of us."

But others were offended. One wrote: "He is King and grieving son to the HM Queen. Show some respect and keep your views to yourself." Others tweeted they were "disappointed" he had used his speech to target the royals, with one Twitter user posting: "Best they stay in their woke California and never step on U.K. soil again then. Long Live The King #kingcharlesIII."

It is not the first time Armstrong has made a politically charged comment while accepting an award. In 2020, while picking up a previous Emmy for Succession, he blasted the then-U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and then-U.S. President Donald Trump for their "crummy and uncoordinated" responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, other presenters also used their time in front of the microphone to crack some jokes. Host Kenan Thompson singled out Leonard DiCaprio at the ceremony, joking that 26-year-old star Zendaya was "too old" for him.

But jokes can backfire, as Oscars host Chris Rock famously found out with a jibe about actress Jada Pinkett Smith's hair. Her husband, Will Smith, stormed the stage and slapped him across the face. Pinkett Smith had previously revealed she was suffering from the hair loss condition alopecia.