Two years after an historic Emmy night when a majority of the acting winners were Black, this year the Television Academy awarded trophies to six nonwhite performers out of 19 total performing categories.
While that’s the same number as last year, three of this year’s nonwhite acting winners accepted trophies on the main telecast. South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae took top honors for acting in a drama series for Netflix’s “Squid Game,” a first for a non-English language winner in the category, and also the first time an Asian and South Korean actor has ever won in this slot. In addition, Zendaya won for a second Emmy for her work on HBO’s “Euphoria,” while Sheryl Lee Ralph took home the prize for ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” — and gave a thunderous acceptance speech complete with Dianne Reeves vocal.
Another three nonwhite actors picked up prizes at last week’s Creative Arts Emmys, including the late Chadwick Boseman (for his voice work on Marvel’s “What If…?”), Colman Domingo (guest actor for “Euphoria”) and “Squid Game” guest actress Lee You-mi.
Last year, the six nonwhite winners all were honored in the guest, short-form and voice acting categories at the Creative Arts Emmys, including two prizes for Maya Rudolph for guest-hosting “SNL” and for voice acting on “Big Mouth.” None took home prizes on the main telecast.
That’s a far cry from two years ago, when the Emmys achieved record diversity on Emmy night by handing out the majority of its performing awards to Black actors. In addition to Zendaya and Maya Rudolph (who also two-peated for “SNL” and “Big Mouth”), the winners included Regina King (“Watchmen”), King’s co-star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Uzo Aduba (“Mrs. America”), “Saturday Night Live” guest host Eddie Murphy, and two of the stars from Quibi’s short-form series “#FreeRayshawn,” Laurence Fishburne and Jasmine Cephas Jones.
In 2019, seven of the 19 performing categories went to nonwhite actors, including three on the main broadcast: Regina King for “Seven Seconds,” Thandiwe Newton for “Westworld” and Darren Criss, who is half Filipino, for “American Crime Story.”
