42 | OCTOBER 10 • 2024 J
N

ARTS&LIFE
TELEVISION

Kelly Lyon takes home her first Emmy.

JULIE SMITH YOLLES CONTRIBUTING WRITER

K

elly Lyon’s good friend once told her, “If 
you dress like an Emmy, you could win an 
Emmy.” And, on Sept. 7, at the Creative Arts 
Emmy Awards, Lyon did just that.
In her gold-beaded vintage 1990s Oleg 
Cassini gown, Lyon accepted her first Emmy 
for Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety 
Programming. She won for being the lead editor, 
along with co-editors Sean McIlraith and Ryan 
McIlraith, for the Netflix Live Comedy Series John 
Mulaney Presents Everybody’s in L.A.
“I was a ball of nerves for the entire ceremo-
ny. When Top Chef host Kristen Kish announced ‘J’ 
in John Mulaney, I truly couldn’t believe it. It’s a cli-
che, but it literally felt like I was dreaming. All of the 
adrenaline and nerves and fears just burst into the 
biggest smile,” beamed Lyon, whose maiden name 
was Kelly Brickner growing up in Farmington Hills. 
“I was dancing on air. I was vibrating with emo-

tions. It was a moment that I had always wished for, 
but never dared to dream could actually happen.”
By the time Lyon got back to her seat at L.A.’s 
Peacock Theater following her epic win, her phone 
was blowing up with congratulatory texts. First 
there was a video from her kids, Lake, 7, and Ford, 
5, excitedly jumping up and down. Next, there was a 
text from the rabbi who married Kelly and her hus-
band, Zack — Rabbi Rachel Joseph of Congregation 
Beth Israel in Portland, Oregon, where Kelly, Zack 
and their kids live. And, of course, there were sever-
al from star John Mulaney himself.
“I am so proud of you three,” texted Mulaney, 
who also recently won the Television Critics 

All That
Glitters is Gold

LEFT: Sean McIlraith, Ryan McIlraith and Kelly 
Lyon. RIGHT: Zack and Kelly Lyon.

