As the awards show celebrated its 75th anniversary, five of the 12 acting Emmys handed out on Monday night—pushed four months to MLK Day due to the 2023 strikes—went to performers of color, tying the 1991 record set by Lynn Whitfield, Madge Sinclair, and Ruby Dee.
“I accept this award on behalf of every Black and brown woman who has gone unheard yet overpoliced, like Glenda Cleveland, like Sandra Bland, like Breonna Taylor,” said Niecy Nash-Betts, the third Black actress to win an Emmy for best supporting actress in a limited series for Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
Beef’s near-sweep in the limited series races gave its lead actors, Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, Emmys. Wong is the first Asian woman to win an Emmy for a lead role.
Last weekend at the Creative Arts Emmys, RuPaul’s Drag Race host extended his winning streak for reality competition host to eight. Trevor Noah became the first person from the global majority to front an Emmy-winning talk show, a “Last Week Tonight” -less category that has existed since 2015.
Do you think the Oscar winners will be as diverse as the Emmy winners this year? Why or why not?