ESPY Awards: Michelle Obama Honors Late Special Olympics Founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver

The former first lady presented the Arthur Ashe Courage Award to Kennedy’s son, Timothy Shriver, who chairs the Special Olympics.

Former first lady Michelle Obama posthumously honored Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who founded the Special Olympics, at the 25th annual ESPY awards Wednesday night. Shriver died in 2009.

Obama presented the Arthur Ashe Courage Award to Kennedy’s son, Timothy Shriver, who chairs the Special Olympics. The organization helps to empower those with intellectual disabilities through sports.

“I am here tonight to honor a remarkable woman,” said Obama, who received a standing ovation from the audience as she walked onstage. She called Shriver a woman who believed “everyone deserves a chance to push themselves and find out what they’re made of.”

Obama continued, “Through her passionate service, she made our world more inclusive and fair. … She honored the highest traditions of athletic history, using sports to break barriers and change hearts and minds.” Shriver’s “visionary idea” went on to become a “worldwide movement,” Obama said.

Timothy, upon accepting the award on behalf of his mother, told Obama he was “deeply, deeply honored” to have her present. “Once a first lady, still a great first lady. Our mother would have loved you — your forthrightness, your honesty, your toughness.”

He went on to say his mother “wanted to be known as a great hero of sports, and she got that tonight.” He added, “She’s here in the hearts and minds of millions of Special Olympics athletes. … This movement that she created almost 50 years ago is not done yet. We’ve got a lot of work to do for equality.”

The award, given to Zaevion Dobson, Caitlyn Jenner and Michael Sam in past years, honors someone who embodies the spirit of tennis legend and longtime human rights campaigner Arthur Ashe.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s sister, Rosemary Kennedy, was intellectually disabled. 

Former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning hosted this year’s ceremony.

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And the multiple Emmy nominations go to Donald Glover, Ann Dowd and Liev Schreiber

Several of Thursday’s Emmy nominees were awarded not one, but multiple nominations for their TV work. 

For some, it’s a credit to the wealth of work available in television. For others, it’s a testament to their multi-hyphenate abilities. Below are this year’s actors who are up for Emmy Awards in more than one category.

Riz Ahmed: English rapper Riz MC is nominated for lead actor in a limited series or movie for his portrayal of Nasir ”Naz” Khan, a Pakistani American student accused of killing a woman, in HBO’s “The Night Of.” The “Star Wars” Rogue One” star is also up for guest actor in a comedy series for his turn as Hannah’s surf instructor, Paul-Louis, in HBO’s “Girls.”

Aziz Ansari: The “Master of None” is showing that he’s a master of more than one craft. In addition to his lead actor in a comedy nod, the “Parks and Recreation” alum is also nominated as a writer on his Netflix series.

Alec Baldwin: In the year of “‘Saturday Night Live’ versus Donald Trump,” Baldwin consistently made headlines for his portrayal of the president. Baldwin is up for supporting actor in a comedy series as well as hosting ABC’s reality-competition series “Match Game.” (Fun fact: The episode of “SNL” Baldwin hosted has three other Emmy nominations –  production design, outstanding makeup and prosthetic makeup — as well.) 

Ty Burrell: The two-time Emmy winner and “Modern Family” fixture is again nominated as a supporting actor for his ABC comedy, as well as for actor in a short-form comedy or drama series, for “Boondoggle.”

Ann Dowd: The formidable Aunt Lydia is nominated for her supporting work in Hulu’s rookie drama “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and her turn as Patti Levin in HBO’s “The Leftovers” earned her a guest actress in a drama nod.

Donald Glover: Childish Gambino and the upcoming Lando Calrissian is up for lead actor in a comedy series for his FX series “Atlanta.” He also earned nods for directing and writing the Georgia-set comedy.

Ewan McGregor: Nominated for lead actor in a limited series or movie for FX’s “Fargo,” McGregor also scored nominations for narrating Nat Geo Wild’s docu-series on his homeland, “Wild Scotland.”

Matthew Rhys: He’s played master spy Philip Jennings in five seasons of FX’s “The Americans” (and this is his second nod in the lead actor category). However, the academy took notice of his guest-actor stint, giving him a nomination for his turn as a literary icon accused of sexual assault on HBO’s “Girls.”

Liev Schreiber: Showtime’s “Ray Donovan” star has been perennially nominated in the lead actor in a drama category, but this year he’s competing against himself in the narrator category for lending his voice to HBO’s sports documentaries “Muhammad Ali: Only One” and “UConn: The March To Madness.”

See the complete list of 2017 Emmy Award nominees here.

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