The Emmys put Sofia Vergara on a rotating pedestal, and it was terrible

Perhaps concerned that the Emmys hadn't filled their quotient of "ironic" sexism and/or racism, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences President Bruce Rosenblum presented the usual spiel about the missions of the Academy (and, by extension, the Emmys), boiling the whole statement down to the importance giving everybody something to watch.

That was all well and good, but his idea of something good to watch was to put Sofia Vergara atop a rotating pedestal, complete with her asking if this was how it's done in America, for added creep factor.

As NPR's Linda Holmes pointed out, Vergara is game for these bits, but the ick factor is off the charts.

In fairness, Sofia Vergara always seems incredibly game for this stuff, but still. Just: no. #Emmys

— Linda Holmes (@nprmonkeysee) August 26, 2014

The question of where the line between irony and outright sexism or racism exists has bedeviled awards shows for quite some time now, reaching a sort of apotheosis in Seth MacFarlane's hosting of the Oscars. These gags almost never work, and they seem solely calculated to piss social media off.

Twitter was only too happy to oblige.

Next year, same Sofia Vergara bit but with Outlander guy

— Brandon Nowalk (@bnowalk) August 26, 2014

Sofia Vergara needs to learn how to say no and the Emmy people should have known better...

— Tim Goodman (@BastardMachine) August 26, 2014

I wish they did that rotating Sofia Vergara joke with a guy.

— kelly oxford (@kellyoxford) August 26, 2014

no, no, no you are not making this joke where sofia vergara turns on a rotating platform like a car no no no

— Jessica Goldstein (@jessicagolds) August 26, 2014

Even Katie Couric was mildly perturbed:

I love @SofiaVergara but did anyone find that schtick somewhat offensive?

— Katie Couric (@katiecouric) August 26, 2014

Update: In an interview with Entertainment Weekly backstage, Vergara was asked if she found the bit sexist or demeaning. "I think its absolutely the opposite. It means that somebody can be hot and also be funny and make fun of herself. I think it's ridiculous that somebody started this — I know who she was — who has no sense of humor [and should] lighten up a little bit," the magazine reports her as saying.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple reasons that we can't rely only on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on.

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. We can’t do that if we have a paywall.

That’s why we also turn to you, our readers, to help us keep Vox free. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via