'Literal dumpster fire': Jennifer Aniston extinguishes fire at Emmys, ignites controversy

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The Emmys got off to a fiery start on Sunday night – literally – when "The Morning Show" star Jennifer Aniston extinguished a small blaze in a trash can.

It started when Aniston joined host Jimmy Kimmel onstage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to present the award for lead actress in a comedy series; all the nominees joined virtually. In an effort to play up (and make light of) the importance of sanitation during COVID-19, Kimmel sprayed the envelope with Lysol, before dropping it into a trash can and lighting it on fire.

Aniston, armed with a fire extinguisher, proceeded to try and extinguish the small blaze so the duo could read the results. However, it took several tries to actually stop the fire and viewers could hear someone offstage say "put it out" as Aniston exclaimed "oh, shoot!"

Viewers at home expressed mix reactions about the bit.

"The hero of the Emmys is the person offstage who said 'Put it out!' to Jennifer Aniston when the fire was still not out and they were just leaving it ablaze," @tvsfun wrote.

"Little Fires Everywhere," @Bielfelix_ tweeted, referencing the Emmy-nominated series starring Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon. @thenolagirl made a reference to Aniston's series "Friends," writing: "The One with a Little Fire."

@ChaseCainNBC wrote: ".@JenniferAnnistn & the fire extinguisher is how to explain 2020."

"This is a literal dumpster fire and im dying of laughter," @hillhands wrote. "But they’re trying and honestly what more can you ask of someone right now."

Others felt the joke was in poor taste given the destruction California and the West have faced due to wildfires.

"HEY can we stop lighting fires in California thanks," @ImekaSF wrote. @mariskysol wrote: "why did the emmys light a fire as a joke.... right now... in california..."

It left some people frustrated. "I’m so confused why they would light anything on fire at the #Emmys considering the entire state of California is on fire," @msdrama wrote. "Let’s not burn down the last bit of entertainment we have." @NYCKNP added: "This is a bit over the top. Especially when California is already dealing with fires."

What else has been going on tonight? Emmys 2020: Jimmy Kimmel kicks off a weird, virtual night while the world burns around him

In case you missed: Giuliana Rancic, Vivica A. Fox miss hosting Emmys virtual red carpet after testing positive for COVID-19