Name: Teddy Perkins.
Age: Hard to tell.
Appearance: Michael Jackson dressed as Hugh Hefner.
In what way? He’s a black musician who has undergone so much plastic surgery and skin-bleaching that his face is taut and immobile and appears white.
As much plastic surgery as that Rodrigo guy who was kicked off Celebrity Big Brother? Yes, as much as that.
Classy. Also I should say, Teddy Perkins is a fictional character, from an episode of the FX comedy series Atlanta. He was played by Donald Glover, the real-life musician, comedian, actor, etc, wearing a white mask.
I see. And is he a nice guy, this Perkins character? I’d better not go into detail, but no. He’s extremely creepy. In the show, he plans to open a museum for domineering fathers, such as Joe Jackson, who made their children successful if somewhat strange. He believes that “great things come from great pain”.
My skin’s crawling already. Jolly good. The episode became one of Atlanta’s most famous and highly praised. So it seemed appropriate when Perkins attended the Primetime Emmy awards on Monday, where Atlanta was nominated eight times in the major categories.
Argh! Just let me go and hide behind the sofa. Yes, it freaked a lot of people out.
Wait a minute. I thought you said he was a fictional character? You’re a sharp one. Yes, I did. And yes, he is. Somebody dressed up as him.
Donald Glover, presumably? That is what people presumed at first. In televised clips of the ceremony, Perkins can be seen hugging Bill Hader as he went up to collect the award for outstanding comedy actor, for which Glover was also nominated.
But you said “at first”. I did. Because moments later, there was no sign of Perkins. Glover, without a mask and wearing different clothes, had taken his place.
Maybe he pulled off the mask and changed? It seems unlikely, right in the front row, with so little time. Perkins had white hands and everything. There are also pictures of Glover posing with Perkins. One theory is that he was, in fact, the comedian Jay Pharoah.
Hmmm … You’re right to make that noise. Teddy Perkins is a creepy “all is not what it seems” type of episode.
How’s this for a theory? It was Donald Glover’s long-lost domineering showbiz father … Danny Glover! That’s a common assumption. In fact, they are unrelated.
Do say: Shouldn’t the winners get the attention, not the nominees who dress up to promote their show?
Don’t say: Fancy-dress Emmys from now on!
