Elizabeth Banks Brags That Five Women One Man Nominated for Best Director at Emmys – Man Immediately Wins

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Elizabeth Banks experienced another humorous mishap at the Emmys, and many are saying this one was even funnier than her previous awards show blunder.

At the 2025 Emmy Awards, Banks presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Instead of just announcing the nominees, she used the opportunity to highlight a significant achievement for women in the industry. Banks proudly noted that five out of the six nominees were female directors, calling it an important cultural moment.

The joke was on everyone: Philip Barantini, the sole nominee, won the award for *Adolescence* right away. Banks had hoped to highlight female filmmakers, but the actual winner completely contradicted that goal.

What was intended to inspire change ended up being unintentionally hilarious – almost like a joke written for the Emmy Awards.

Banks Has a History of These Misfires

Elizabeth Banks has a history of publicly criticizing Hollywood, and it often backfires. For example, in 2017, she publicly challenged Steven Spielberg, claiming he had never directed a film starring a female lead.

The audience applauded, but then someone mentioned *The Color Purple*, a well-known film directed by Spielberg starring Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Avery, and Oprah Winfrey. Banks was quickly corrected, and the negative reaction was so strong she had to issue an apology.

Okay, so as a movie and TV fan, I’ve been following this, and it’s a bit awkward. Elizabeth Banks basically tried to show up Steven Spielberg with a supposedly clever question, but he ended up gently correcting her on film history. Then, fast forward to the Emmys in 2025, and she tried the same thing – and it totally backfired, with the correction happening live on TV for everyone to see. It was pretty cringey, honestly.

The Pattern Is Clear

As a movie lover, I’ve noticed Elizabeth Banks repeatedly attempts to wade into cultural debates, usually when promoting something big. And honestly, it always seems to backfire. It’s become a pattern where her attempts at commentary just end up creating a mess.

  • 2017: Calls out Spielberg, forgets The Color Purple exists.
  • 2025: Hypes five female directing nominees, the man wins.

Instead of strengthening her image as a feminist leader, recent events are having the opposite effect. Rather than driving the discussion, Banks is becoming the focus of it – and not on her own terms.

Award Shows Don’t Need Preachy Spin

It’s ironic because award shows are already full of political statements and long speeches, and presenters shouldn’t try to influence how the audience reacts. When Banks pointed out the gender of the nominees as if it was the most important thing, she created a specific expectation. When the actual winners didn’t fit that narrative, it failed badly – and that’s precisely what happened.

People watch the Emmys to find out who wins, not to hear celebrities make political statements. Ayo Edebiri’s joke at the expense of Jimmy Kimmel wasn’t well-received and overshadowed the award winner, making the moment more about the awkwardness than the accomplishment.

Final Thoughts

Elizabeth Banks has become known for unexpectedly stumbling during major award show appearances, creating awkward and humorous moments.

From misremembering who directed *The Color Purple* to becoming the subject of Emmy jokes, she consistently demonstrates that approaching activism as a performance can be risky.

The lesson? Maybe next time just read the teleprompter.

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2025-09-15 18:57