On September 20, Hollywood will celebrate another year in the best of television with the 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Granted, the festivities will look much different in the time of COVID—the 2020 Emmys will be handed out in a virtual ceremony. As there isn't a red carpet, a press room, or any too-chummy costar afterparty pics coming our way this year, we've decided to revisit what the award show looked like exactly 20 years ago. So join us for a trip to when Sex and the City and The West Wing ruled the airwaves, Brad and Jen were the "it" couple, and Keri Russell's hair was the talk of the town. These 19 photos from the 2000 Emmys ought to hold you over until it's safe to have another star-studded red carpet. And for some more enduring small screen hits, check out 20 Beloved TV Shows You Won't Believe Are 20 Years Old.
1 | Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were just married.
Paul Smith/FeatureFlash/Alamy Stock PhotoNominee Jennifer Aniston (she lost to Will & Grace's Megan Mullally) and Brad Pitt were still newlyweds at the 2000 Emmys, having tied the knot that July.
For famous pairs we miss, here are 15 Celebrity Couple Breakups You're Probably Still Mourning.
2 | The Will & Grace cast cleaned up.
Paul Smith/Featureflash/Alamy Stock PhotoThe sitcom racked up wins for its second season, including supporting nods for Mullally and Sean Hayes and the trophy for Outstanding Comedy Series.
3 | Halle Berry got closer to an EGOT.
Paul Smith/FeatureFlash/Alamy Stock PhotoHalle Berry won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for playing Dorothy Dandridge in the HBO movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. Two years later, she'd become the first Black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar for her work in Monster's Ball.
For awarded performances that still stun, here are 13 Great Oscar-Winning Performances That Still Hold Up.
4 | James Gandolfini was the boss.
Paul Smith/Featureflash/Alamy Stock PhotoThe late James Gandolfini and first wife Marcy Wudarski celebrated his Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series win for playing the iconic Tony Soprano in HBO's The Sopranos.
5 | The West Wing made a splash.
Tsuni/USA/Alamy Stock PhotoAaron Sorkin's political drama was an instant hit with Emmy voters. Its first season alone earned the show five awards in major categories, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor for Richard Schiff, Outstanding Supporting Actress for Allison Janney, and directing and writing nods.
And if you love Janney, check her out on Mom, which is among the 17 Underappreciated TV Comedies That Are Available to Stream Right Now.
6 | David Schwimmer supported his show.
Paul Smith/FeatureFlash/Alamy Stock PhotoDavid Schwimmer wasn't among the Friends nominees this year—Aniston and Lisa Kudrow were the only lead cast nominated—but he was there to support them and celebrate the show's Outstanding Comedy Series nomination.
And if you're not Ross' biggest fan, but love Rachel, check out Every Major "Friends" Character, Ranked From Worst to Best.
7 | Christine Lahti supported her husband.
Paul Smith/FeatureFlash/Alamy Stock PhotoChristine Lahti had closed out her run on the medical drama Chicago Hope by this point. While not up for an award herself, her husband, director Thomas Schlamme, won an Emmy for directing The West Wing pilot.
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8 | Holly Hunter wore the pants.
Paul Smith/FeatureFlash/Alamy Stock PhotoTwo-time Emmy winner Holly Hunter attended the 2000 Emmys in some seriously sparkly trousers.
9 | Rebecca Romijn and John Stamos were still an item.
Paul Smith/Featureflash/Alamy Stock PhotoSupermodel/actor Rebecca Romijn and Full House star John Stamos wed in 1998 (making her temporarily Rebecca Romijn-Stamos wherever she was credited). Five years after this red carpet kiss, they called it quits in 2005.
10 | Keri Russell rocked a short-cut.
Paul Smith/Featureflash/Alamy Stock PhotoFelicity star Keri Russell famously caused a stir when she chopped off her long, curly locks. Some even attribute the choice to the college drama's ratings slump. And for more famous hairdos (and don'ts), check out This Is the "It" Hairstyle the Year You Were Born.
11 | Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas were inseparable.
Paul Smith/Featureflash/Alamy Stock PhotoMelanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas had been married for four years when this photo was snapped. They'd go on to be together until 2015, when they broke up for good. (But are reportedly still friends.)
12 | Cynthia Garrett made TV history.
Paul Smith/Featureflash/Alamy Stock PhotoPresenter Cynthia Garrett became the first Black woman to host a late-night chat show when she took over the NBC series Later in 2000, and it looks like the job agreed with her.
13 | Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker were predictably fashionable.
ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy Stock PhotoSex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker may have lost the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Emmy to Everybody Loves Raymond's Patricia Heaton, but she didn't let that stop her and husband Matthew Broderick from enjoying the night.
14 | Kristin Davis was all smiles.
Paul Smith/Featureflash/Alamy Stock PhotoThough her costar Kim Cattrall scored the only supporting nod for Sex and the City, Kristin Davis was on hand to mark the show's multiple nominations.
15 | Ray Romano was sitcom royalty.
Paul Smith/FeatureFlash/Alamy Stock PhotoRay Romano may not have won the 2000 Emmy, but his TV wife Heaton did, and there was still plenty of life in Everybody Loves Raymond, too. The show ran until 2005, after which, Romano started to make a name for himself as a dramatic actor too.
16 | Ellen DeGeneres was between shows.
Paul Smith/Featureflash/Alamy Stock PhotoComedian Ellen DeGeneres didn't have her talk show yet when the 2000 Emmys rolled around, and her sitcom, Ellen, had ended in 1998. She kept busy with other appearances, however (including one in the nominated movie If These Walls Could Talk 2) and ended up hosting the somber 53rd Annual Emmy Awards in 2001, days after the events of 9/11.
17 | Jack Lemmon capped off a legendary career.
Paul Smith/FeatureFlash/Alamy Stock PhotoSix-time Emmy nominee Jack Lemmon became a winner for the second time when he took home the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie after starring in Tuesdays With Morrie. He passed away a year later at the age of 76.
18 | Michael J. Fox was a winner.
Paul Smith / FeatureFlash / Alamy Stock PhotoAfter winning three Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Emmys during the run of Family Ties, Michael J. Fox took another Emmy home in 2000 for playing New York's Deputy Mayor in Spin City.
19 | Cher graced the carpet.
Paul Smith/FeatureFlash/Alamy Stock PhotoWhile not a nominee that year, Cher doesn't need an excuse—or even an invitation—to show up at any party. She did, however, star in and direct a segment in the original If These Walls Could Talk and its aforementioned sequel was up for Outstanding Made for Television Movie.