Disney Kicks Off Emmy FYC With ‘Toast to TV’ Hosted by Dana Walden

For a brief moment Monday night, Hollywood folks put aside any concerns they have about the industry’s troubles and found reason to celebrate at the Walt Disney Co.’s “Toast to Television.” The event, held at Soho House Hollywood, was exactly that: A moment for some of the medium’s biggest stars, creators, writers, executives, producers and directors to rub elbows and celebrate the fact that good storytelling is alive and well.

Stars and producers from ABC, Disney+, Hulu, 20th TV and other Disney-related entities repped shows including “9-1-1,” “Abbott Elementary,” “Alien: Earth,” “American Dad,” “The Bear,” “Chad Powers,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “Deli Boys,” “Disneyland Handcrafted,” “Family Guy,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “High Potential,” “Ironheart,” “Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery,” “Love Story,” “Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair,” “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice,” “Murdaugh: Death in the Family,” “Paradise,” “Reasonable Doubt,” “RJ Decker,” “Scrubs,” “Shifting Gears,” “The Simpsons,” “Swiped,” “The Testaments,” “Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox,” “Welcome to Wrexham,” “Wonder Man” and more.

In her opening remarks, newly named Walt Disney Co. president and chief creative officer Dana Walden noted that “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane had a little fun teasing the “Toast to TV” event title. But, “we are calling it that, and I want to say thank you and welcome to everyone that’s here. I’m looking at these amazing faces and people who have done so much extraordinary work with us. I thought a lot about what I wanted to say tonight, and I decided I wanted to do two things.

“First, I wanted to make it really quick, because I want you all to spend time talking to each other. Second, I wanted to say it’s kind of remarkable the year that you have all had. You have told stories that break through an incredible amount of clutter. You’re just such dreamy partners. All of us at Disney, we spend a lot of time thinking about who we want to partner with. And I have to say, when I look in this crowd, this is our dream.

“And so the second thing I want to say is I see people who have been to parties like this so many times. But I also want to say ‘welcome’ to the people who are joining us for the first time. We have met extraordinary new partners, and the work has just been so meaningful and beautiful, and we’re so proud of it. So Seth, it’s a toast to TV. And it’s a toast to people like you, our longtime partners, and a huge welcome to all of our new partners. On behalf of everyone at Disney, on behalf of [new CEO] Josh [D’Amaro] and [Disney Entertainment, Studios, chairman] Alan Bergman and [FX boss] John Landgraf and Deborah OConnell, our new head of Disney Entertainment Television. You are the best of the best. And cheers to you.”

Here are some photos from the event: