Anthony Anderson’s Mother Had a Special Job at the Emmys That Some Loved, Others Loathed

In case you were wondering who we have to thank for the 75th annual Primetime Emmys ending promptly at 8p.m.PT/11p.m.ET on the dot Sunday instead of dragging over its initially intended three-hour slot—it’s Anthony Anderson’s mother, Mama Doris Bowman.

A brand new addition to the usually long award show, where winners usually try to rush through their acceptance speeches (or not), lest they get cut off by the cued music— “Mama Doris,” as she’s more affectionately known, was specifically recruited by Jesse Collins Entertainment, the all-Black producing team behind the show, to keep things moving and people in line. In fact, when The Root spoke to her on the red carpet a mere moments before the show began, she told us that her plan was to “come take’em down” should folks get a bit too long-winded.

“I got security, I just don’t have the hook,” she jokingly said, likely referencing the famed tool used to yank horrible acts at The Apollo offstage back in the day.

Though her presence there was purposeful, it didn’t keep from some folks watching at home feeling perturbed at her shenanigans:

However, there were some that took up for Anderson’s mom and applauded her for her efforts.

No matter how viewers felt, in a new interview with Jesse Collins for Variety, he revealed that while the Mama Doris’ methods may have been met with mixed reactions in the moments, he believes she did what she aimed to do and it ultimately worked out in the end.

“I think very sweet and playful about it. What happened was, for whatever reason — maybe because they didn’t want to deal with her — people came up there determined and precise and they really made their point,” he explained. “I thought the speeches were amazing throughout the night. Really just emotional and spot on and concise. And that helped us keep pace with the show.”

Great job, Mama Doris! Let’s hope we see her next year.