Something Fishy: Jeremy Piven Poisoned by Emmy Awards

He’s won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for three years in a row, and was nominated for it four years ago. But Jeremy Piven has been snubbed this year for his work in “Entourage” as Ari Gold.

Is it because the real Ari Gold ‘ Ari Emanuel ‘ staged a coup and took over the William Morris Agency? Unlikely reason.

More likely: Piven’s whole “mercury poisoning” incident on Broadway this past winter has seeped into other realms of his career.

Piven famously left the Broadway play “Speed-the-Plow” in the middle of its run, claiming he couldn’t go on because he’d eaten too much fish. His decision caused a huge uproar in the theater world. His co-stars turned on him, and so did the press. New actors had to be rushed into the show as substitutes. Piven narrowly got out of trouble in front of an Actors Equity committee.

His character and performance on “Entourage” were so popular, though, that it seemed like the whole incident would be compartmentalized in people’s minds. Maybe not. Piven won the Emmy for playing Ari in 2006, 07, and 08, He was nominated but lost in his first year, 2005. This year, even with an expanded number of nominees: nothing. Instead, Kevin Dillon, who’s brilliant as Johnny Drama in the series, proved more alluring bait.