Black actors have a stronger presence in the Primetime Emmy Awards than they ever have, earning a record-high percentage of acting nods in Tuesday’s nominations.
Of the 102 acting nominations in the series, limited series and TV movie fields announced Tuesday, Black performers secured 35 (among 33 actors, as Maya Rudolph and Giancarlo Esposito were both nominated twice). The 34.3 percent of nominations represents an all-time high for Black actors, besting the previous record of 27.7 percent two years ago. It’s also a sizable year-to-year jump, as Black actors only garnered about 20 percent of acting nominations in 2019.
Additionally, three of the six nominees for animation voice-over performance and half of the 10 the short-form acting nominees are Black.
Thanks to COVID-19, comedian Leslie Jones hosted the nominations from an empty set. During what felt like a monologue, the actress shared that the Academy flew her in on a private plane to ensure her safety. Laverne Cox, who also nabbed an Emmy nod this year, helped announce the 2020 nominations along with Josh Gad and Tatiana Maslany.
Thankfully, the Academy nominated many Black actors from the drama categories to the comedy categories. Our favorite show, Insecure, also scored a nod in the outstanding comedy series category and Kerry Washington’s American Son earned a nod for outstanding TV movie.
And we should mention that Dime Davis earned a directing nod for her work on A Black Lady Sketch Show, and our forever first lady’s documentary Becoming also scored a few nods for outstanding director and cinematography for Nadia Hallgren, outstanding documentary and outstanding music composition for a doc. We stan!
Check out who else is up for the little golden trophy:
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BROOKLYN NINE-NINE — “THE THERAPIST” EPISODE 608 — PICTURED: ANDRE BRAUGHER AS RAY HOLT — (PHOTO BY: VIVIAN ZINK/NBC/NBCU PHOTO BANK VIA GETTY IMAGES)
MAHERSHALA ALI WAS NOMINATED FOR OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES FOR HIS ROLE IN RAMY, AS WELL AS FOR OUTSTANDING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM FOR EXECUTIVE PRODUCING WE ARE THE DREAM: THE KIDS OF THE OAKLAND MLK ORATORICAL FEST FOR HBO.
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RON BATZDORFF/NBC
STEPHAN JAMES FOR OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A SHORT FORM COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES FOR THE QUIBI SERIES #FREERAYSHAWN.
LAURENCE FISHBURNE FOR OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A SHORT FORM COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES IN THE QUIBI SERIES #FREERAYSHAWN.
MAMOUDOU ATHIE FOR OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A SHORT FORM COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES IN THE FX SERIES OH JEROME, NO.
COREY HAWKINS FOR OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A SHORT FORM COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES IN THE QUIBI SERIES SURVIVE.
JASMINE CEPHAS JONES FOR OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A SHORT FORM COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES IN THE QUIBI SERIES #FREERAYSHAWN.
ROBIN THEDE AND THE ENTIRE A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW TEAM FOR OUTSTANDING VARIETY SKETCH SERIES, INCLUDING OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SERIES FOR DIME DAVIS AND OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES FOR ANGELA BASSETT.
LUPITA NYONG’O FOR OUTSTANDING NARRATOR IN DISCOVERY CHANNEL DRAMA SERIES IN SERENGETI.
Check out the full list of nominees below:
Outstanding Drama Series
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession
Outstanding Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dead to Me
Insecure
Schitt’s Creek
The Good Place
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
What We Do in the Shadows
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Ramy Youssef, Ramy
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Zendaya, Euphoria
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, The Morning Show
Brian Cox, Succession
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Masked Singer
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Regina King, Watchmen
Octavia Spencer, Self Made
Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul
Nicholas Braun, Succession
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Matthew Macfadyen, Succession
Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Mark Duplass, The Morning Show
Jeffrey Wright, Westworld
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Laura Dern, Big Little Lies
Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies
Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve
Julia Garner, Ozark
Sarah Snook, Succession
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale
Thandie Newton, Westworld
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Mahershala Ali, Ramy
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Daniel Levy, Schitt’s Creek
William Jackson Harper, The Good Place
Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method
Sterling K. Brown, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Betty Gilpin, GLOW
Yvonne Orji, Insecure
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live
Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek
D’Arcy Carden, The Good Place
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Dylan McDermott, Hollywood
Jim Parsons, Hollywood
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Watchmen
Jovan Adepo, Watchmen
Louis Gossett Jr., Watchmen
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Holland Taylor, Hollywood
Uzo Aduba, Mrs. America
Margo Martindale, Mrs. America
Tracey Ullman, Mrs. America
Toni Collette, Unbelievable
Jean Smart, Watchmen
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
A Black Lady Sketch Show
Drunk History
Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Amy Poehler, Making It
Nicole Byer, Nailed It!
Bobby Berk, Queer Eye
RuPaul, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Barbara Corcoran, Shark Tank
Padma Lakshmi, Top Chef
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Andrew Scott, Black Mirror
James Cromwell, Succession
Giancarlo Esposito, The Mandalorian
Martin Short, The Morning Show
Jason Bateman, The Outsider
Ron Cephas Jones, This Is Us
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Cicely Tyson, How to Get Away With Murder
Laverne Cox, Orange Is the New Black
Cherry Jones, Succession
Harriet Walter, Succession
Alexis Bledel, The Handmaid’s Tale
Phylicia Rashad, This Is Us
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Fred Willard, Modern Family
Dev Patel, Modern Love
Brad Pitt, Saturday Night Live
Adam Driver, Saturday Night Live
Eddie Murphy, Saturday Night Live
Luke Kirby, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Angela Bassett, A Black Lady Sketch Show
Maya Rudolph, Saturday Night Live
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Saturday Night Live
Maya Rudolph, The Good Place
Wanda Sykes, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Bette Midler, The Politician
Outstanding Limited Series
Little Fires Everywhere
Mrs. America
Unbelievable
Unorthodox
Watchmen
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