As the 2016 Emmy Awards began, it only took a matter of minutes for the first of many political bashes to be thrown out on stage. Jimmy Kimmel started the show with a heavily politicized segment featuring former GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush, and from there, the Trump jokes and political references escalated.

Viewers of the Sept. 18 show soon witnessed the night transform from a celebration of television’s finest to a platform for entertainment celebrities to preach their political views.

Many viewers, including me, were angered. Nobody tunes in to an awards show to listen to A-listers talk about their personal political opinions. If people wanted to listen to a political debate, they would be watching CNN instead of ABC.

Entertainment programs, namely awards shows, should be free of politics because it detracts from the achievements of actors and actresses. The purpose of the night is to give hard-working entertainers a time to shine, but mixing politics in diminishes their accomplishments by drawing all attention to the presidential race.

It also causes ignorant voters to focus their attention on the opinions of actors, actresses, directors, reality television stars or other celebrities who most likely do not have any more insight into political issues than the average person on the street.  

Some celebrities also use their acceptance speeches to talk about politics or promote certain beliefs. During the Emmys, Courtney B. Vance, who won best lead actor, said, “Obama out, Hilary in!” at the end of his speech. Celebrities have somehow managed to integrate politics into every award show, whether it be the Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys, Grammys or Tony Awards, we seem to be constantly surrounded by politics-influenced entertainment.

Mixing politics with entertainment ruins what the industry is supposed to be about: celebrating the accomplishments of talented performers. Entertainers attend these award shows to be recognized for their work, not to be overshadowed by talk of politics.