5 Instant Viral Moments From the Emmys Musical Opener

A mere five minutes after the 2017 Emmy Awards got underway, host Stephen Colbert's musical opener had already provided enough hilarious and relevant material to keep social media buzzing for the rest of the year. The ceremony kicked off with a classic Vaudeville-style song-and-dance number that packed multiple memorable moments, from a sly reference to contemporary pop-culture controversies to a fabulous rap homage to a surprise tear-away finish featuring a crew of stripping Handmaids straight outta Gileda.

Here are the moments from the musical opener that will be the evening's most-gifed in no time.

1. The Confederate controversy gets a nod

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Before Stephen Colbert sang a single note, guests Allison Janney and Anthony Anderson dropped a sly reference to the controversial HBO series-in-the-making. (Anderson promised to cancel his subscription in protest... just as soon as Game of Thrones is over. Let's be reasonable.)

2. Julia Louis-Dreyfus gets political

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The truth isn't quite as disturbing when you put it to music.

3. A trip to the upside-down

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In a daring counter-cultural move, the Emmys chose not to feature Barb from Stranger Things in its opening number; instead, the Demogorgon finally got his day in the sun with a jaunty dance number. Monster's got moves.

4. Chance loves Laverne

All of a sudden, Chance the Rapper broke in with a relevant rhyme about how much he loves Laverne Cox, and folks are here for it.

5. The Handmaid's Surprise

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Finally, it wouldn't be a prestige TV awards show without a nod to The Handmaid's Tale -- but it wouldn't be a Stephen Colbert song-and-dance number without the Handmaids turning out to be a mixed-gender tap dancing troupe wearing lacy red sequin leotards underneath their demure robes.

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