Joshua Jackson Walks on 2024 Emmys Stage to ‘I Don’t Want to Wait’

The 2024 Emmy Awards was a night of remembering the best of the best when it came to television — and Joshua Jackson got the shock of a lifetime when walking on stage to present the Governors Award to Greg Berlanti.

Jackson, 46, joined forces with Matt Bomer to present the award on Sunday, September 15, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. When the acting duo walked out on stage, “I Don’t Want to Wait” by Paula Cole played in the background.

“Ah, yes, this song,” Jackson quipped with a big smile, referencing the track that was famously the Dawson’s Creek theme song. Jackson played the role of Pacey Witter on the show from 1998 to 2003.

“TV history was made on Dawson’s Creek as Greg was the first writer-producer to show a gay kiss on primetime between two teenagers, and that was back in 2000,” Jackson said while on stage. “I remember being so proud to be part of that show, and at the same time, I didn’t understand how big it was. Greg gave us a beautiful, relatable, and, yes, the first portrait of a gay teen, who acted on his desires with the same anxiety everyone has over their first kiss.”

The kiss Jackson was referring to was between Jack (Kerr Smith) and Ethan (Adam Kaufman) during the show’s third season.

“Like all visionary producers, he is one step ahead of the audience with his shows,” Jackson continued of Berlanti. “He opens the door, and as we go through, we realize we are more comfortable with characters having real life experiences than we ever could have imagined.”

Berlanti is also known for his work on Brothers & Sisters, Everwood, Political Animals, Riverdale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and You.

Smith, 52, previously recalled his Dawson’s Creek story line as Jack being “largely” an extension of Berlanti.

“We were the first ones to do that,” the actor told TooFab in 2019. “It was a crazy experience back then, and you’re right, look at every single show now, it’s pretty amazing.”

Smith continued: “It was an intense experience, and I remember calling everybody I respected and said, ‘Hey should I do this?’ Doing the first male-male kiss, I remember it was intense. I’m glad we did it and it was part of history.”