Anthony Anderson has “always wanted” to host the Emmys.
The actor is set to host the awards ceremony on Jan. 15 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Anderson has now revealed that he’ll be fulfilling a long-held ambition by hosting the show.
“I’m excited,” he told “Entertainment Tonight.” “It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, and, you know, it happened when it was supposed to happen. I wanted it to happen years ago, but everything happens when it’s supposed to happen. So, I’m really excited.”
The “Black-ish” star also revealed that the upcoming ceremony will feature a “special celebration” of landmark TV shows.
“There’s a special commemorative Emmy that’s going to be given out that night to commemorate 75 years,” he shared, “We’re going to be paying homage to iconic shows that kind of changed the landscape of television and entertainment. So, I’m excited to be a part of all of that.”
Anderson has actually been inundated with congratulatory texts from his friends after he was named as the show’s host.
“I was just going through my congratulatory texts from friends as they go, ‘It’s about time. I know you wanted this for a long time now,'” he added.
The Emmys were previously postponed because of the writers’ strike, and the Barbershop star was only announced as the host of the ceremony in December.
“With our industry’s recent challenges behind us, we can get back to what we love — dressing up and honoring ourselves,” the actor said in a statement at the time. “And there’s no better celebratory moment to bring the creative community together than the milestone 75th Emmy Awards. When Fox asked me to host this historic telecast, I was over the moon that Taylor Swift was unavailable, and now I can’t wait to be part of the biggest night in television.”
