Burning Question: Was Merritt Wever's Emmy Acceptance Speech the Shortest in History?
Nope. Not even in Emmy history.
For the record, Merritt Wever's speech, uttered in reaction to her win for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for "Nurse Jackie," was one of the shortest on record, at merely nine words, not including an "um."
"Thank you so very much," she said. "Um, I gotta go, bye."
[Video: Merritt Wever's "Best. Emmy Speech. EVER.]
But if you’re covering a bet with friends on this, I’ve got bad news, and his name is Phil Lathrop. Back in 1987, the cinematographer won an Emmy in the miniseries or special category for NBC's "Christmas Snow." It was not a good Emmy telecast; it was documented as the longest in the history of the awards thus far. The Los Angeles Times huffed that many winners "simply rambled on, thanking everyone they have ever known."
But not ol' Phil.
"This is the shortest speech," he said at the podium.
Then he took off.
If you’re curious about other awards, Joe Pesci offered a roughly two-second Oscar speech for "Goodfellas" back in 1991: "It's my privilege. Thank you."
[Photos: Check Out More Red Carpet Pics From the Emmys]
And in 2004, Andre 3000 uttered a mere "thank you" after winning a Grammy for Best Rap Album. The New York Times declared Mr. 3000’s delivery to be "terse" and "smart alecky."