In a surprise appearance at Sunday’sEmmy Awards,Bob Newhartdid what he did best: putting the crowd in stitches as he helpedBen Stillerpresent the evening’s first award.
The beloved entertainer —who recently celebrated his 90th birthday— joined Stiller on stage, wryly reminding him, “I’m still alive.”
Though Newhart was standing as still as a statue next to the others, he quickly stopped Stiller. “You put me with George and Lucy and it’s weird,” he said. “Like I was in some weird museum of comedy.”
“It’s more like legends of comedy,” Stiller insisted, riffing. “Alive, dead … all different types of comedy!”
But Newhart wasn’t buying it. “This legend is going to kick your ass, that way you’ll know I’m alive,” he said. “You thought I was dead!”
Newhart, whose career stretches back decades, won his first Emmy in 2013 for his guest appearance onThe Big Bang Theory.
He had been nominated seven times before, beginning with a nod for writing forThe Bob Newhart Showin 1962. Emmy acting nominations came later forNewhart, a guest role onERand the TNT movieThe Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice.
Before attending the show, Newhart opened up about his milestone birthday during an interview withThe New York Times, saying he didn’t actually feel 90 years old.
“My mind doesn’t [feel old]. I can’t turn it off,” he said before discussing his thoughts on the afterlife. “I think I know what’s on the other side, but I’m not sure. Maybe it just ends. Some people think you come back. Maybe I’ll come back as Shelley Berman and be pissed off at myself.”
Bob Newhart in May.Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty
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“I think if you lived a good life, some people say it is rapture,” Newhart continued. “You spend the rest of your life in a state of rapture. That’d be nice. What I’m actually hoping is there’s the Pearly Gates and God’s there and he says to me, ‘What did you do in life?’ And I say, ‘I was a stand-up comedian.’ And he says: ‘Get in that real short line over there.’ “
The comedian also opened up about his 56-year marriage, saying his career certainly helped their relationship stand the test of time.
“I think laughter is the secret to the longevity of relationships,” he said. “If you can laugh, you can get through it.”
The 71st PrimetimeEmmy Awardsare airing live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
source: people.com
