Neil Patrick Harris got some not so friendly advice from previous Emmy hosts during his opening monologue Sunday night, but Golden Globes hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey delivered the final blow when they heckled Harris from the front row and demanded he twerk for them.

Harris decided to forgo his signature opening numbers in favor of an opening monologue featuring Jimmy Kimmel, Jane Lynch, Jimmy Fallon and Conan O’Brien. Fallon encouraged Harris to perform a dance for the audience, to which Harris responded, “I’m not going to do anything like that. That is far too gay.”

The quarreling comedians were interrupted by nominee Kevin Spacey, as his alter-ego Frank Underwood from House of Cards, speaking to the audience, revealing himself as the mastermind behind the host squable and threatening more to come: “I believe the cherry on the proverbial sundae is about to be served.”

Cue Poehler and Fey, sitting in the front row with popcorn and 3-D glasses.

The two funny ladies wasted no time in giving their two cents. They ordered Harris to twerk, referencing Miley Cyrus’ recent VMA's scandal.

Fey kicked it off, yelling, “Take your pants off! And twerk it!”

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“Work that twerk,” Poehler added.

Harris declined, saying that twerking would be “degrading.”

“Yeah, it might be degrading, but we would be de-grateful,” Poehler joked.

The audience loved the bit, especially winner Claire Danes who was seated behind Poehler and Fey. When it was over, Fey and Poehler took the stage to award the first Emmy of the evening for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, which went to Merritt Wever for Nurse Jackie.

Harris did perform a song and dance number mid-show – called ‘The Number In The Middle Of The Show’ – but, unfortunately, he stayed true to his word and refused to twerk.

Olivia Truffaut-Wong

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