Andy Samberg’s Best Awards Show Moments

Award show season is here once again, but whatever stunts the hosts and performers may go for this year, they are unlikely to top the incomparable Andy Samberg. Samberg has hosted and co-hosted several huge award shows over the last decade, and he typically receives rave reviews. If you’re wondering who set the bar so high for these events, look no further.

Samberg has put his musical comedy stylings to perfect use in several award shows recently, including the 2019 Golden Globes, where he co-hosted with Sandra Oh. Some fans may compare that performance to this weekend’s show with co-hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, though the circumstances are admittedly different. Still, Samberg is practically synonymous with award shows these days, and his highlight reels are making the rounds on social media as usual.

Samberg has hosted several awards shows in his career, including the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards back in 2015. He is notorious for his high-production skits, his outlandish gags and his unapologetic comedy.

Samberg’s professional career actually began with an awards show, in many ways. In 2005, before he and his comedy troupe The Lonely Island had really made their mark on the scene, they were hired to write for the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. The show was a huge success, and coupled with their viral Internet fame, it launched the trio into the mainstream.

Later that year, The Lonely Island was hired on Saturday Night Live, where they popularized Digital Shorts, now a staple of the show. They have gone on to do huge A-list collaborations, feature films, lauded TV and other work in the industry, yet Samberg and his friends are still known for award show stunts.

So far, Samberg has not been selected for any new award show slots this year, but judging by the popularity of his old sketches online, producers should be knocking down his door with offers. Here is a look at Samberg’s most popular award show performances over the years.

2009 MTV Movie Awards – Promos

After writing for the show in 2005, Samberg returned to the MTV Movie Awards in 2009 as the host. Capitalizing on his internet success, Samberg made some surreal promotional clips for the award show with the help of Jack Black and Michael Cera.

2009 MTV Movie Awards – For Your Consideration

In another series of promos, Samberg enlisted more huge celebrities for a series of fake movie trailers. Stars like Rashida Jones, Cuba Gooding Jr., Will Arnett, Bill Hader, Eva Mendes and Anne Hathaway joins him for the parodies. Surprisingly, none of the made up movies took home trophies that year.

2009 MTV Movie Awards – ‘Cool Guys Don’t Look At Explosions’

Finally, the award show saw the debut of The Lonely Island’s hit song “Cool Guys Don’t Look at Explosions.” It cut together footage of action stars ignoring huge blasts, while Samberg and Will Ferrell sang about how cool they were. Behind them, J.J. Abrams even played keyboard.

2011 Emmy Performance

In 2011, The Lonely Island took the stage at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards for a huge performance. The group mashed up some of their biggest hits, enlisting collaborators like Michael Bolton and Akon to join them on the stage.

2013 Independent Spirit Awards – Opening Monologue

In 2013, Samberg hosted the 20th Independent Spirit Awards. He delivered a more straightforward stand-up comedy style monologue than he is known for, but it went over well. Samberg chided the audience for celebrating “independent films” — questioning the definition of that category and noting some of the huge stars in the room. They laughed along, unable to resist Samberg’s charm.

2014 Golden Globe Win

In 2014, Samberg won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy for his portrayal of Detective Jake Peralta in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The actor did not have much of a speech prepared, but he riffed at the podium for as long as he could, delivering a heartfelt speech where he showed his wit and humility.

2015 Emmy Awards – Opening Digital Short

In 2015, Samberg hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards by himself. He kicked the night off with a digital short reminiscent of his SNL days. In it, Samberg sang a dramatic musical number about the difficulty of keeping up with modern TV. After locking himself in a bunker for a year, he was finally equipped to host the Emmy Awards.

2015 Emmy Awards – Opening Monologue

Samberg showed off that pop cultural knowledge in his opening monologue at the Emmys. The comedian delivered relevant jokes that somehow hold up several years later. He was joined for one brief cameo by Jane Lynch, but Samberg showed he could command the stage by himself with no problem.

Unreleased Oscars Song

Finally, perhaps Samberg’s greatest contribution to award shows as a whole is a song written for the 2018 Oscars that never even made it to the air. The Lonely Island released a storyboard cut of a song written for the broadcast, which the Academy apparently deemed “financially and logistically impossible.” Still, as a YouTube video on its own, the song is a masterpiece.