Emmys host Cedric the Entertainer poked fun at the royals while joking about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Oprah interview: ‘That’s the real tea’

• Cedric the Entertainer held nothing back while poking fun at the royals while hosting the Emmys.
• He joked the Queen needs Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son Archie to teach her TikTok dances.
• The 57-year-old also said Prince Charles needs his grandson to help him learn how to dance.
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Emmys 2021 host Cedric the Entertainer put the royal family in the hot seat during the 73rd awards show.

Hitting the stage during the Sunday night event, the 57-year-old comedian poked fun at the House of Windsor in a series of jokes referencing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, which was also nominated for an award in the best hosted nonfiction series category.

"Meghan must put it on that boy because he renounced his throne quicker than Eddie Murphy in 'Coming to America,'" the Emmys host quipped.

Calling Markle and Harry's interview "the real tea," the comedian mentioned one of their most controversial claims: that members of the royal family had "concerns and conversations" about how dark their son Archie's skin tone would be before he was born.

"I can't believe they was talking about that little baby like that," the Emmys host joked. "Little Archie, wanting to know how dark that little baby going to be."

He then went on to single out Archie's grandfather Prince Charles and his great-grandmother the Queen, discussing how they in particular could benefit from having him in their family: "They need little Archie! I mean, Charles can't dance," he said. "Who else going to teach them how to TikTok? I can just see it now, baby Archie with the Queen like, 'Come on, Gammy.'"

As the camera panned to the audience, British actor Josh O'Connor, who took home an Emmy for "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" for his portrayal of Prince Charles in Netflix's "The Crown," could be seen reacting with a smile at Cedric the Entertainer's royals jokes.

The playful roast could have been slightly more awkward if Markle and Harry had attended the awards show for their Emmy-nominated interview, a possibility that was quickly shut down when the couple weren't pictured on the pre-show red carpet. According to Elle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's absence was expected since the interview was nominated for a minor award category and they were the subjects of the show, which was led by Winfrey and her team.

Despite the subtle shade thrown at the royals, the California-based couple's revelations in the interview have reportedly continued to be a point of strain between royal family members.

In a revised version of "Finding Freedom," released this August, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex considered naming which members of the royal family took part in racist discussions about their then-unborn son's skin tone.

Days after the March interview, Buckingham Palace released a rare statement on behalf of the Queen saying: "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan."

"The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately," it concluded.

Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, and representatives for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.