Apple's new CEO, John Ternus, made a rare public appearance at the Emmys, showing off the unreleased foldable iPhone Duo to stars and media on the red carpet. The article highlights that celebrities were privately requesting access to the $1,999 phone before the event, indicating high demand among Hollywood’s elite. Ternus also attended an exclusive Apple party where insiders noted his interaction with actors and creatives, suggesting a growing interest in the entertainment industry despite being relatively unknown compared to his predecessor Tim Cook.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Mysterious new Apple boss John Ternus got his Hollywood closeup at the Emmys on Monday night, and the “subdued” CEO brought the ultimate ice breaker: the unreleased, foldable iPhone Duo.
asserted
CEO → get → breaker
There was footage of Ternus showing off the upcoming $1,999 device on the red carpet to ooh and ahhs.
asserted
Ternus → be → carpet
But we hear that stars were hitting him up for the phone privately in LA even before the awards at the Peacock Theater.
asserted
stars → hear → Theater
Ternus attended an intimate Apple party the night before the Emmys, filled with stars and powerbrokers, where some talent brazenly hit him up for the phone.
asserted
talent → attend → phone
“The new phone is big news,” said one top Hollywood exec, who added that they heard of at least one star, “asking [Ternus] to get him on the list” for a phone.
asserted
they → say → phone
Joked the source about who gets the phones: “It’s like CEOs.
asserted
It → joke → CEOs
That’s like the ‘Eddy Cue list of illuminati.'”
asserted
That → ’ → illuminati
A source added of Ternus at the private Sunday pre-party: “It was a small gathering with a lot of talent,” where Ternus was mixing with “actors and other creatives.”
asserted
Ternus → add → actors
The next night, Ternus was stopped on the red carpet by Deadline and whipped out the iPhone Duo from the pocket of his tux jacket to the delight of a squealing reporter, and sparking a barrage of comments about the device online.
asserted
Ternus → stop → device
Page Six Hollywood previously reported when Ternus stepped into the top job — taking over from outgoing CEO Tim Cook two weeks ago — that techy exec was a complete mystery in Hollywood.
asserted
exec → report → Hollywood
The unknown factor had some entertainment types on edge as they wondered what Ternus’ appetite would be for Apple’s streaming service, Apple TV and its Apple Studios.
asserted
appetite → have → service
“No one knows him,” one entertainment CEO told us at the time.
asserted
CEO → know → time
Cook had become a fixture at premieres and events, and launched Apple TV in 2019 with a stream of stars and VIPs, including Jennifer Aniston and Steven Spielberg.
asserted
Cook → become → Aniston
But judging from the company’s mammoth record-breaking awards tally at Monday’s Primetime Emmys, sources said Ternus has been bitten by the TV bug.
asserted
Ternus → judge → bug
The streamer won the most awards, with an astounding 28.
asserted
streamer → win → 28
“There’s no way that [Ternus] came down to LA for however long he did and was leaving feeling ‘that’s a waste of time,'” said a TV veteran who saw the exec at the show.
asserted
who → ’ → show
After the unprecedented run at the Emmys, “Apple’s party was popping,” a guest told P6H.
asserted
guest → pop → P6H.
After the unprecedented run at the Emmys, “Apple’s party was popping,” a guest told P6H.
asserted
guest → pop → P6H.
Attendees at the Nya Studios event included Apple talent such as Jon Hamm and Matthew Rhys, along with Michael J. Fox, “SNL” comic Marcello Hernández and Stephen Colbert.
asserted
Attendees → include → Fox
Ternus attended, and a source said, “He’s not a party guy, he was just subdued and soaking it in.”
“By all accounts he likes the TV stuff,” a source said.
asserted
source → attend → stuff
“Not that Tim Cook didn’t, but how can you not be fired up?
asserted
you → do → ?
Look at how many submissions they had versus how many wins.
asserted
they → look → wins
(The Apple crew around Ternus had even been whooping it up in the audience.)
asserted
crew → whoop → audience
Apple submitted 31 shows for Emmys, compared to Netflix’s 125 and HBO’s 86 — and beat both competitors at the awards for the first time since Apple TV launched in 2019.
asserted
TV → submit → 2019
Apple came into the night with 19 wins (20 if you count a commercial win) from the previous two nights of Emmys, and then added to the haul with wins for “Widow’s Bay,” “Slow Horses,” “Pluribus,”
Apple’s persona as a streamer has been hard to pin down for industry pros.
asserted
persona → come → pros
“It’s really hard,” said a source of selling to the studio.
asserted
source → ’ → studio
“I don’t think even Apple would say they have a way of doing things.
asserted
they → think → things
And the things that’s scary is they don’t need to make TV.
asserted
they → ’ → TV
With Apple’s “The Studio” and “Severance” returning, and “Widow’s Bay” continuing after that, Ternus could be showing off his tech on the red carpet again next year.
uncertain
Ternus → return → carpet
“They’re in a groove and creatively so impressive,” said a source.
asserted
source → ’re → groove
“They’ll probably win a few years in a row.”
asserted
They → win → row
A source said Apple TV’s head of programming Matt Cherniss and streaming execs Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg deserved major credit for the wins.
asserted
head → say → wins
The Aporia
