Jimmy Kimmel delivers first pandemic-era monologue at Emmys 2020 to fake audience

As Jimmy Kimmel returned to hosting duties of Emmys 2020, his opening mologue for virtual television award ceremony was all about having fun in pandemic.

Kimmel, who has previously hosted 64th and 68th editions in 2012 and 2016, started this year's ceremony by welcoming audiences at home to Pand-Emmys.

Wow, it's great to finally see people again. Thank you for risking everything to be here. Thank me for risking everything to be here. You kw what y say, You can't have a virus without a host', Kimmel said in what looked like a usual mologue, full of laughter and reaction shots of a star-studded audience.

host, however, soon revealed that audience laughter and celebrity shots were from previous ceremonies.

Of course, we don't have an audience. This isn't a MAGA rally, he quipped.

It was anunced in July that 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards would be held virtually this year due to COVID-19, with minees attending ceremony from ir homes.

Kimmel said it might seem frivolous and unnecessary to organise an awards show during a global pandemic, but it is fun and we need fun.

"This has been a miserable year. This has been a year of division, injustice, disease, zoom school, disaster and death.

We've been quarantined and locked down. We've been confined to our homes like prisoners in a dark and lonely tunnel, and what did we find in that dark and lonely tunnel? I'll tell you what we found: a friend who is re for us 24 hours a day. Our old pal, television, he said.

During mologue, Kimmel was joined by actor Jason Bateman in an empty room, decorated with cutouts of this year's minees.

Bateman, however, left soon after host said he could only stay if he promised to laugh at all his jokes.

Kimmel remotely hosted ceremony from a st inside Staples Center.

(AP Im)