Seth Rogen Reveals Why Sal Saperstein Was Snubbed in Emmy Speeches

On a recent Sunday evening, viewers of the Apple TV+ comedy The Studio were left puzzled, wondering why no one acknowledged Sal Saperstein during the show’s “Golden Globes” themed episode, which humorously focused on this very question.

In this particular episode centered on the awards, Seth Rogen plays the role of Matt Remick, a stressed studio executive. Throughout the episode, his colleague Sal Saperstein, portrayed by Ike Barinholtz, is repeatedly mentioned in thank-you speeches by various actors, including a cameo by Zoë Kravitz as herself.

Despite a sweep of 13 awards that night for The Studio, including Best Comedy Series and a Best Lead Actor in a Comedy for Rogen, not a single mention was made of the fictional character Saperstein! During a backstage press interaction, Rogen shared his thoughts on the matter.

“It’s kind of our internal gag,” he noted. “Personally, I find it odd to bring up your own joke like that.”

“I’m really let down,” chimed in Barinholtz.

When questioned about the possibility of Apple CEO Tim Cook appearing as a guest star in Season 2 of The Studio, Rogen commented, “I just met him last night for the first time. He mentioned he’s a fan of our show, which was really encouraging. I also work on another Apple show, Platonic, but he didn’t mention that one. It seems he’s quite candid, and hopefully, it might even lead to some free iPhones for us.”

Following the Emmy success for Season 1 of The Studio, Rogen expressed his plans to leverage the show’s victories to attract big-name guest stars for the upcoming season. “I hope this might convince those who were hesitant. I’ll definitely be reaching out to a few celebrities with a bit more enthusiasm tomorrow. Standing on stage tonight, looking at the audience, I found myself wondering, ‘Maybe now he’ll agree to join.’ I’m eager to turn these wins into even better episodes next year.”