The Emmys red carpet is always about more than just fashion — it’s where Hollywood couples put their relationships on display. To help make sense of what those appearances say about love, longevity and fame, I turned to Josh Lora, aka Tell the Bees.
With more than 200K followers on TikTok and a Substack devoted to sociological explorations of reality TV and celebrity culture, Lora has built a loyal audience of fans who crave highbrow analysis of their so-called guilty pleasures. He applies academic frameworks to the very trends lighting up our feeds, making sense of everything from Bravo drama to red carpet dynamics. And isn’t that exactly what we all love to do from our couches on awards show nights? I caught up with him on Emmys night to break down the couples that he thinks stole the spotlight.
Sam Rockwell and Leslie Bibb
Leslie Bibb and Sam Rockwell. (Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images)
Lora: One of the things that I love about them is that they’re constantly supporting each other. They’re couple goals for long-term partners. They say that they’re basically married and they feel married, which is really iconic, but they don’t actually want to get married — and I think that’s really interesting and inspirational for people on that same life path. They just feel very steady — a down-to-earth vibe that’s outside of the typical Hollywood couple.
On the carpet, they were so sweet and supportive, reminiscing about filming The White Lotus in Thailand, even though Sam was only there for a few days and Leslie stayed much longer. Together since 2007, they’ve worked together a few times, and their collabs are always really, really exciting.
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
Selena looked amazing, and the rumor is that she and Benny are getting married in just a couple of weeks. Tonight, they seemed really sweet and excited. She’s been through a lot with her health, and he seems really supportive — it feels like he’s prepared to uplift her in a way she really deserves. It seems like they’re it for the long haul. He’s successful on his own, and he can just let her shine in this really exciting way.
Adam Brody and Leighton Meester
Adam Brody and Leighton Meester. (Stewart Cook/CBS via Getty Images)
Adam and Leighton looked amazing together. They seemed a little bit nervous and admitted they were feeling overwhelmed [on the red carpet]. I laughed when Adam said [in an interview] he realized he was brushing past really famous people without noticing, which is such a relatable, overstimulated moment.
Leighton was super chill, and she felt like a grounding beacon for him. I love them together — they’re honestly one of my favorite couples ever. They’re teen soap royalty: Leighton from Gossip Girl and Adam from The O.C. We rooted for their fictional love stories, and now we get to root for their real-life love story, which just feels really exciting.
Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
Mom and Dad, truly a power couple. I’m obsessed with Calista from both Ally McBeal and Brothers & Sisters. They’ve been together since 2002, and Harrison has been in Hollywood for 60 years. They’re a quiet, solid couple who don’t make a ton of appearances, but when they do, it feels very old-school Hollywood. He could easily skip out on these events, but he’s there [for Shrinking] — and she’s there to support him. They’ve been together forever, they’ve done it, and they have nothing left to prove.
Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor
Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller. (Danny Moloshok/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Content Services via Associated Press)
Ben is having a huge moment with Severance, but I want to start by talking about Christine, because Christine is my Marcia Brady. They’re such a lovely, inspiring couple. I love watching their interviews — they have this cool banter and a sense of humor that makes them really fun together. But what makes them stand out is their love story. They’ve been together so long, and they even spent some time apart before realizing what they needed most was each other. Sometimes, taking time apart is what you need to figure out who your person really is. It may sound a little corny, but to me, that’s powerful.
Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost
Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost. (John Shearer/WireImage via Getty Images)
Scarlett and Colin are a power couple. Scarlett is on top of the world right now with Jurassic World Rebirth, but what I love is the way she hypes him up. She makes a concerted effort to show up for him as his partner, not just as Scarlett Johansson, movie star. That’s hard to do when one partner is more successful than the other, but she balances it beautifully. To me, they make the high-profile match look easy.
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