Teddy Perkins is alive and well! Viewers were confused when they saw Donald Glover’s viral Atlanta character in the audience at the 2018 Emmy Awards on Monday, September 17.
An unidentified man showed up in Teddy’s costume — complete with whiteface makeup, prosthetics and a black wig — for the announcement of the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series nominations. Glover’s FX comedy-drama was recognized in the category, but Bill Hader ultimately took home the trophy for his HBO show Barry.
“I did not think this would happen,” Hader, 40, told the audience. “I took classes at Second City L.A. I was taught there that you should always make the other people look good, so I hired other great actors who made me look good.”
Many critics predicted that the multihyphenate would win for his acclaimed performance. Director Hiro Murai also scored a nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for the eerie “Teddy Perkins” episode, but he lost to Amy Sherman-Palladino of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Glover made headlines after the “Teddy Perkins” episode aired in April when viewers realized that he was actually the uncredited actor behind the titular role.
The musician, who performs under the stage name Childish Gambino, did not walk the red carpet at Monday night’s ceremony. Showtime executive Johanna Fuentes later confirmed on Twitter that the man dressed as Teddy in the audience “wasn’t Donald or Lakeith [Stanfield].”
Still, viewers freaked out on Twitter over the brief appearance. “Did I just see Donald Glover as Teddy Perkins at the Emmys?!?” one user tweeted. Another wrote, “Why is nobody talking about the fact that Donald Glover (or someone) showed up to the #Emmys as Teddy Perkins from Atlanta?!”
