Hargitay traded in her Law & Order: Special Victims Unit badge for a pre-taped parody of the Joan Jett classic hit I Love Rock ‘N Roll, replacing the lyrics with “I Love TV Screens”.
The 62-year-old paid tribute to some of the small screen’s smallest screens, giving shoutouts to airplane TVs and smartphones.
However, the reaction online was more grounded.
“The opening number of this Emmys is so cringe,” one person tweeted, as another begged, “Please make this opening end.”
“I love Mariska down, but what is this opening number?” one person asked, while another agreed, “Oof Mariska, I support all your rights and wrongs but this opening number…I cannot cringe any harder,” and a third piled on: “Whoever Let Her Do That Should Be Sent to Jail.”
While one user summarized, “This opening bit is so bad, it’s like the Emmys don’t want us watching the Emmys.”
Hargitay became the first woman to host the Emmy Awards in 15 years, something she joked about in her opening monologue.
“I am so incredibly proud to be the first woman to host the Emmys in 15 years,” she said. “For 15 straight years, Amy and Tina said ‘no’,” referring to Amy Poehler and Tina Fey.
The drama star also took some expected shots at the Law & Order franchise.
“The Emmys are celebrating their 78th year, and NBC is celebrating its 100th year,” she said, “and I have been on Law and Order: SVU for all of them.”
The awards ceremony got off to an emotional start before the cameras even started rolling, as Rob Reiner was posthumously awarded the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy trophy for his role in The Bear.
The director was recognized during last week’s Creative Arts Emmys ceremony, off-air.
Reiner’s win prompted a long, standing ovation, with his friend and fellow The Bear guest star Jamie Lee Curtis among those in the crowd paying tribute.
The 78-year-old was killed along with his wife, Michele Singer, in December, and the couple’s son, Nick Reiner, who has pleaded not guilty, has been charged with stabbing them to death.
Reiner’s emotional victory came 48 years after he won the second of his two Emmys for his acting in All in the Family in 1978, the longest gap between acting wins in Emmy history.
His father, Carl Reiner, previously held the record, having won the exact same category in 1995 for his role in Mad About You, 37 years after his first win for Caesar’s Hour.
Reiner is the first posthumous Emmy winner in an acting category since Raul Julia in 1995.