Colin Jost jokes that the Emmys will feature 'two long Sean Spicer moments'

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Published on September 13, 2018 09:30PM EDT

Roll out the red — or rather, the gold — carpet!

That’s right, this year’s Emmy Awards carpet will be golden in honor of the ceremony’s 70th anniversary. In a special press preview of the show on Thursday, EW got a glimpse of the swanky floor covering and caught up with ceremony hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost.

Unveiling the carpet for reporters, Che declared, “This isn’t as gold as I thought it would be. I was expecting a much tackier gold, but this is a reasonable gold.”

With Lorne Michaels executive-producing the ceremony and Saturday Night Live‘s Weekend Update anchors emceeing, Monday’s show promises to lean heavily on its SNL ties. Seats for several alums and current cast members, including Tina Fey, Andy Samberg, Pete Davidson, and Kate McKinnon, were spotted throughout the house at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles. Many of them were in prominent locations, suggesting they could be involved in on-camera bits.

Asked what viewers can expect from the broadcast, Jost told EW, “A lot of special guests, a lot of fun SNL cast members from current cast and alumni of the show, and hopefully some jokes.” He then quipped, “We’re going to have two long Sean Spicer moments for sure” (a reference to the former White House press secretary’s polarizing cameo last year).

Jost also took a moment to comment on his costar Kenan Thompson’s first career nomination. “It’s crazy that it’s his first nomination. He’s been so good for so long,” he said. “He’s been on television almost 60 years. He’s the best. He makes every sketch better. I think anyone who’s ever worked at the show and worked with Kenan would nominate him every year.”

The Emmys will air live on NBC at 8 pm E.T./5 pm P.T. on Sept. 17.

Additional reporting by Jillian Sederholm.