The Best Looks From the 2021 Emmys Red Carpet

Cedric the Entertainer, host of the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards, declared that he wanted to take the audience away from the stuffiness of awards shows and behind the velvet rope. That all starts at the red carpet, which gives fans their first glimpses at the glamour and glitz that these shows are known for.

This time around, Cedric notes that he wants to address "the merging of cultures ... and what happens when people do figure out how to live together, how to be in harmony, without necessarily changing the identity of the other person." While we'll all have to see exactly how he does that, he promises that most of all, it'll be fun.

"That's what we try to do with the show, and have a good time," he said. "Not preach, but teach."

With Zoom ceremonies in the rear-view mirror and just about everyone ready to see show-stopping dresses again, the Emmy attendees have a lot of pressure to impress — and they all understood the assignment. Here are the best looks, from the drama of Nicole Byer's purple confection by Christian Sirano to Billy Porter's red carpet wings.