Baba Booey Gets a Major Shout-Out at 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards

The 72^nd edition of the Primetime Emmys might have looked different in light of the coronavirus pandemic but Sunday’s broadcast had at least one award show constant – a reference to Stern Show executive producer Gary Dell’Abate.

“Stay safe, please vote, and Baba Booey,” host and recent Stern Show guest Jimmy Kimmel said as his parting words on the broadcast.

“He went with the traditional Baba Booey,” Howard observed Monday morning after giving a list of variations Jimmy could have used instead. “There are so many mutations of the word Baba Booey all because Gary did not know his favorite cartoon character’s name.”

Kimmel also closed out the 2018 Academy Awards with a Stern Show shout-out, telling the viewers at home, “Don’t forget to always hit ’em with the Hein.”

Despite co-host Robin Quivers’ concerns that in a world of quarantining Baba Booey references might become a thing of the past, Gary was quick to put her at ease. “It’s going nowhere,” he assured, mentioning that on top of recent shout-outs at the PGA and being the password to the Emmys Zoom after party, he was notified that someone dropped a mention during a press conference held by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “The person that had alerted me … they said, ‘Hearing it made me feel like the world was normal again.’”