ANAHEIM, Calif. — At the 77th annual Emmy Awards, Television Academy Chairman Cris Abrego delivered an impassioned speech in the wake of the defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

“Last Sunday at the Creative Arts Emmys, I had the honor of helping present the Governor’s Award to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting,” Abrego began.

“For more than 50 years, CPB has been the backbone of American Public Media, bringing us everything from ‘Sesame Street’ to ‘Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood’ to ‘Finding Your Roots,’ and keeping free local stations alive across the nation. And in many small towns, those stations weren’t just a cultural lifeline; they were the only Emergency Alert System families could count on. But at the end of this year, CBP will close its doors because Congress has voted to defund it.”

The audience that filled the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles booed loudly before Abrego continued, remarking that Congress has silenced “yet another cultural institution.”

“That’s a reminder of just how much our work here matters, especially right now, in a time when division dominates the headlines, storytelling still has the power to unite us. Television and the artists who make it do more than reflect society. They shape our culture, and in times of cultural regression, they remind us what’s at stake and what can still be achieved. ‘M.A.S.H.,’ ‘Roots,’ the late great Norman Lear’s entire body of work, ‘Will and Grace,’ ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ ‘South Park,’ the legacy of late-night for generations. For generations, artists have seized the power of television status quo and bent that art towards the art of history, towards justice.”

Abrego concluded his speech with a call to action: “The Television Academy and all of us in this room must continue to champion that power and wield it responsibly in moments like this. Neutrality is not enough. You must be voices for connection, inclusion, empathy, because we know that culture doesn’t come from the top down. It rises from the bottom up.”

“Culture belongs to the people.

“So if our industry is to thrive, we need to make room for more voices, not fewer. That’s the work of the Television Academy. Today, we are almost 30,000 strong, the largest, youngest, most diverse body in our history. And with that diversity comes a strength, imagination and courage our industry needs to move forward.

“So let’s do that together. Let’s keep telling stories, and let’s make sure that culture is not a platform for the privileged, but a public good for all.”

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