This week started with a bang, the 72nd Emmy Awards aired almost fully virtually on Sunday, September 20th. In this new age of digital events, The Emmys and host Jimmy Kimmel did a great job of keeping viewers engaged through the hybrid live and streamed show. On Monday, Ellen DeGeneres kicked-off the 18th season of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which drew mixed reviews following backlash regarding a variety of allegations from employees of the show. In the celebrity sphere, new influencer partnerships and collaborations are on the rise, and Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik welcomed their first baby together.
Celebrity & Entertainment
2020 Emmy Awards: TV fans across the country tuned in on Sunday to see how the awards show would handle its first virtual event, and also cheer on their favorite shows and actors. Two major highlights from the Emmys: Schitt’s Creek swept the comedy category for the first time ever and Zendaya won the award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Rue in HBO’s Euphoria. There was large support on social media for each of these wins, with praise coming everywhere from fans to Rotten Tomatoes. Schitt’s Creek took home nine Emmys total, including three of the biggest categories; Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Zendaya’s win marked the youngest person, and the second black woman, to ever win the category. Her acceptance speech hit a nerve with many of her young fans, "I know that our TV show doesn’t always feel like a great example [...] but there is hope in the young people,” she said.
Ellen DeGeneres: Ellen DeGeneres returned for the 18th season of her show on Monday, September 21st with an apology after multiple allegations of a toxic work environment were brought up earlier this summer. Viewers seemed to be unimpressed with the episode and did not hold back their comments on the YouTube clip. With over 70K dislikes and a multitude of negative comments focused on the insincerity of her apology, we’re interested to see how the rest of the season plays out.
Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik: Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik welcomed their baby girl over the weekend, Malik announced the birth on September 24th on Instagram and Hadid shared a similar post not long after. Hadid officially announced her pregnancy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in late April and had been recently sharing some photos of her bump on social media ahead of her due date. After Zayn’s Instagram post, fans and fellow celebs instantly began congratulating the couple. As of writing, Zayn’s post has accumulated over 11 million likes.
Brands and Industry
iOS 14: This week Apple launched iOS 14 to users, allowing more home screen personalization and quicker navigation. This launch is seen as one of the biggest software updates in years, as it fully changes the layout that Apple users have become accustomed to. Brands and influencers alike quickly jumped on the trend of showing off the new layout of their phone, #iOS14 currently has 2.6 billion views on TikTok.
Travis Scott x McDonald’s: In the realm of celebrity brand partnerships, McDonald’s has taken the spotlight this month with its new Travis Scott collaboration. Scott’s partnership announcement Instagram post on September 8th, which is a video featuring an action figure of Scott running through his order, currently has over 9 million views. The “Travis Scott Burger” has also sparked a new TikTok trend where people pull up to a McDonald’s drive-through, say “you know why I’m here,” then start blasting Scott’s song, “Sicko Mode” to order his meal. This partnership is big for the fast-food giant, as they haven’t put a celebrity’s name on the McDonald’s menu since Michael Jordan in 1992, according to the company.
Influencers
Charli D’Amelio x Morphe: Partnering with up-and-coming social media influencers has been on the rise as more established brands recognize the reach social platforms have, particularly in younger demographics. TikTok megastar Charli D’Amelio has been expanding her personal brand by partnering and collaborating with companies such as Sabra Hummus, Dunkin’ Donuts, Hollister, and Morphe. This past month, Charli D’Amelio got her signature Dunkin’ order added to their menu, appropriately named “The Charli.” This partnership triggered a daily 57% increase in Dunkin’ Donuts app downloads according to TubeFilter.com. The popular makeup company Morphe has also taken strides to incorporate influencers like D’Amelio, and her sister Dixie, into their promotional strategy. The duo has recently released their own line of beauty products through Morphe, called Morphe 2, with the second phase of the partnership launching this week.
James Charles Merch Launch: In addition to these brand and influencer collaborations, James Charles took it upon himself to promote his new merchandise with a TikTok star-studded photo shoot. The YouTuber gathered some of the most popular stars to be included in the promotional photos for his new clothing pieces. The photos feature Charli D’Amelio, Noah Beck, Avani, Blake Gray, Larray, and more. Because Charles is friends with these stars in real life, the photos feel natural and organic in his feed. Charles’ Instagram post has accumulated over 2 million likes, which can be partly attributed to the use of his friends.