The Primetime Emmy Awards were unable to capitalize on their historic and diverse nomination fields, with all major acting awards going to white performers at the main event on Sunday. As a result, the hashtag #EmmysSoWhite began trending on Twitter.
Favoured nominees such as the late Michael K. Williams and Billy Porter were defeated by Tobias Menzies and Josh O’Connor from The Crown. Kenan Thompson and Bowen Yang were defeated by Jason Sudeikis and Brett Goldstein was defeated by Ted Lasso.
The Emmy Awards, which are considered the greatest television honour in America, saw ‘Ted Lasso,’ ‘The Crown,’ and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ dominate the nomination list and take home honours.
Even the night’s most surprising victories, such as ‘Mare of Easttown’ and ‘Hacks,’ had white winners.
However, the program included numerous people of colour, including Kerry Washington, Bowen, Bowen Yang, Taraji P. Henson, Ken Jeong, and the Reservation Dogs group. Cedric the Entertainer even hosted the program.
Many social media users expressed disappointment that, even though black artists comprised a sizable proportion of announcers, hosts, and musical performers, none of the actors nominated won in their respective categories.
“Black presenter, Black announcer, hell, even Black music,” tweeted Alexandria Perryman, an Emmy-winning audio engineer. “We’re doing everything but winning.”
RuPaul’s ‘Drag Race’ was named Best Competition Series, while ‘I May Destroy You’ writer Michaela Coel was named Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series.
Like the Emmys, #OscarsSoWhite trended during the last gala event, prompting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to introduce a required diversity criterion that future films must satisfy to be eligible for the Best Picture award.