(upbeat music)
- Hey, I'm Issa Rae and I'm getting ready for
the virtual Emmys.
Not going to be virtual for me though.
(laughing)
You'll see.
(upbeat music)
I am excited as hell because Insecure,
in our fourth season we received
eight Emmy nominations and,
gives a testament to everybody's hard work.
This season came after a hiatus
and we really just wanted to get recharged.
I especially wanted to get recharged before
we dove back into writing the fourth season,
and it feels like that time paid off and
it's just so exciting to see so many people
on our team get recognized.
This is a good year for black people
to be recognized,
it's been a very hard year,
for so many people,
but this year specifically has shone a light
on all the issues that we're facing and
all the hardships that we've faced,
all the injustices,
and I'm just proud that so many people have turned to art,
and black art specifically,
across mediums and to be a part of that
feels incredibly special.
To be recognized during this time feels special.
And I've said this before,
but airing during the racial uprisings
felt terrible just because it felt like
we were distracting from the message
and distracting from the mission.
But the number of people that saw this in our show,
really reassured me and made the show feel
dynamic and needed during a time where it might not have.
So it felt especially, I don't wanna say important,
but essential this year.
There's no red carpet this year
so there's no need to feel anxious about anything,
especially in that I get to celebrate
with friends and,
of course the cast and crew,
our writers.
So, it's different this time around,
it's not a spectacle,
you're not waiting in line to take a
perfect picture that you hope turns out okay,
because that's what all the outlets are gonna use
and that's what people are going to judge you by.
It's just like, it's way more chill this year.
It's like getting literally dressed up
in your home to celebrate.
We're in a pandemic and this virus is still raging
and we wanted to make sure that if we did get together,
because this is a big deal for all of us,
this is what we work for,
that if we did get together,
that it was extremely safe.
We're all getting tested,
we've been tested throughout the week.
And once that's out the way,
then it's time to get lit.
(upbeat music)
My look tonight is curated by Jason Rembert and Shamila,
and I'm wearing a dress by Sergio Hudson.
It is super beautiful, it has me snatched.
I'm wearing a color that I don't frequently.
This dress is a shade of orange.
I'm sure that it has some fancy orange name color,
I'm just going to call it orange.
And it makes me feel bright.
We don't have a red carpet this year.
so just trying to make a statement as best as
you can and make the night memorable.
I feel like this dress really does that.
And of course I have my all-star glam team,
Joanna on the face.
We got Eddie on the nails.
And we got Felicia on hair assisted by Luray.
So this is my team.
What are you doing tonight though?
- Tonight? Well, I don't know how much we're
going to see because she's not doing a red carpet.
I feel a lot of pressure about her face
cause I might just see this all night.
- It is on you.
- So I wanted it to feel sexy,
I kind of gave her like a slanted, smokey,
I want to play up the color of the dress.
I'm using really pretty orange and brown combo
from Armani Festival,
it's so pretty and I want her to feel
like a sexy sunset.
- I like that!
Rise and shine.
- No, the other thing.
- Oh, oh yeah good night.
You're right.
Well, I'm going to pass it over to Felicia on the hair.
- It was fun.
I picked this one, I did.
- I did this one, which was great.
She's doing a ponytail.
It's going to be sleek,
but the fact is going to be super sexy because,
I don't want to take away from the face,
the eyes, the makeup,
or when she's wearing.
So it's going to be snatched and sleek here,
and then you're going to get some
va va voom towards the back, curls.
Beautiful.
- Any time that I get to get dressed up for
an award show is special just because,
it really is an honor to be nominated,
it's an honor to be invited and to be
in the company of people that you really admire.
One of my favorites,
that I was kind of worried about,
was the Golden Globes look,
I think it was 2018,
but it was during the Me Too movement
and a bunch of women banded together and
vowed to wear black.
I got to wear a Pablo dress and it
was absolutely gorgeous and stunning
and I felt like a boss ass bitch wearing it.
And then another one of my favorites was
my first Emmy, Tenants.
I honestly didn't want to go,
I was presenting and I had to leave for
Atlanta the next day, but that ended up
being kind of an iconic moment for me,
because on the red carpet asked me who
I was rooting for and I told her the truth and
that moment ended up becoming
so many people's catch phrase.
Like I was happy that I went after that
cause it was just a big moment for me.
And Tucker Carlson like featured me on his show,
saying that I was dividing America and
that's what you aspire to.
Another one of my favorite red carpet looks was the Emmys.
I had the honor of being dressed by Vera Wang.
Pants suit, I love to wear pants,
I love to be comfortable,
and they designed this princess Cinderella esque
pant gown that I got to wear,
and that was the first year that I was nominated
so that was super special for me too.
A pre red carpet meal is champagne.
I had half a smoothie this morning,
just so I can increase my champagne intake.
I think this is my favorite part of
getting ready for a big event,
usually my music is bumping,
I get to just chill and then you de-stress before I'm on.
But this year is different because that
means you get to bring one guest.
And I want to say, I brought Yvonne as a date one year,
and then I didn't have a date the other year
cause I was a presenter.
This year I get to curate who I'm around and
it's just going to be one big safe party
with people I love and people who made this possible.
To de-stress I play music all day
I've been playing music around my house,
in my little Sonos speakers,
since I woke up this morning.
That puts me at ease,
and I listen to a variety,
today I just made it old school because
I'm tired of my music,
whenever I love an artist,
I play it out and so I've been listening to
Brandy and Monica's battle, versus battle,
and of course Gladys and Patty,
so I've been taking it back to some of
the stuff I grew up on,
like in the nineties and further back
like stuff my mom listens to.
- [Man] Missed the whole Brandy and Monica thing.
- You missed it? - I missed it.
- But it's not the same to watch it,
live where everybody,
the commentary is what makes it hilarious
because they're like, "did they peep what I just peep?
"do they like this song as much as I do?"
It's just, there's so many moments,
but it was definitely one for the books.
I can't usually FaceTime because
I would look like Popeye.
This is how I FaceTime cause,
you know, they be working.
But if I did, I would FaceTime probably Yvonne.
Yvonne I think is my first FaceTime cherry.
She popped my FaceTime cherry,
actually when I was nominated for a
Golden Globe and she was like super hyped
and I was like, "what is that?
I do not do this".
but I was hyped to get her call,
but I'm not really a FaceTimer,
the pandemic has made me that way.
(upbeat music)
- So I'm done with hair, makeup and nails and
now I'm about to go put on my dress.
(upbeat music)
- I am on my way, see you all at the SoFi Stadium.
This is a struggle.
That's how I do.
Let's go.
(upbeat music)
(cheering and clapping)
(upbeat music)
(cheering)
- I'm most excited that we're nominated,
I mean, I'm excited for Issa.
I'm excited for the show, for Yvonne.
We're in SoFi Stadium,
which is pretty amazing.
No one else has been in here
but us and football players.
Yes, I'm nervous, I'm terrified, I'm petrified.
I don't think you could not be nervous on
a night like this but it's good .
- We're nominated for eight Emmys, bro,
like first time ever.
So I'm excited to be here,
I'm excited that we're included,
no process.
I'm looking forward to walking out of
here with an Emmy.
Get in, bam.
- I am most excited about actually being
here in the real world people,
we all had COVID tests and we are in
this beautiful stadium.
I'm mean, it feels so great to actually get
to celebrate the show and all of the nominations in person,
which I didn't think was possible,
I'm also heavy with child and don't want to be sick,
so I'm nervous, but I'm not nervous about the awards.
I know people say this but I felt like the
nominations finally for Insecure
to get like, nominated in the way that
the show should be,
it's really exciting.
(upbeat music)
- Thank you guys so much for celebrating with me,
for watching me get ready.
I'm about to keep partying,
see you all later.