LOS ANGELES – The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards made headlines in July 2020, when it announced a record number of diverse nominees – however, for those who watched Sunday night’s broadcast, it would appear that the buck stopped there.
Not a single actor of color won in any of the 12 acting categories. The majority of the awards were swept by the predominantly white acting ensembles of shows like “Ted Lasso,” “The Crown,” “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Hacks” and “Mare of Easttown.”
While the show featured a variety of diverse presenters throughout its broadcast including Angela Bassett, Mindy Kaling, Wilmer Valderrama, Kerry Washington, Yara Shahidi and America Ferrera – it wouldn’t be until the second hour of the show that a person of color nabbed a gold statuette.
RuPaul Charles, who won his 11th Emmy for Outstanding Competition Program for his hit show “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” became the most-awarded Black artist in Emmy’s history.
Michaela Coel, who served as the star, writer and creator of “I May Destroy You,” also won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Category. She became the first Black woman to win the award for limited series writing.
While many considered other actors like Mj Rodriguez, who also made history as the first transgender actor to be nominated for a leading role for her groundbreaking role in “Pose,” Sterling K. Brown, Billy Porter and the late Michael K. Williams to be strong contenders in their respective categories – it seems as if the Television Academy saw otherwise.
Shortly after the show concluded, the hashtag #EmmysSoWhite began trending on Twitter. To those who recall, this seemed sadly reminiscent of the 2015 Oscars when the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite began trending after the academy awarded all 20 acting nominations to white actors.
Despite the lack of racial diversity in this year’s winners, there were 49 “non-Anglo” nominees including six Latinx performers: Anya Taylor-Joy, Anthony Ramos, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Mj Rodriquez, Rosie Perez and Alexis Bledel.
Miranda’s “Hamilton” won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded).
At the Creative Arts Emmys, which aired on Saturday, Sept. 18, Maya Rudolph, Courtney B. Vance and Dave Chappelle each won guest actor awards.
However, the true bone to pick is not so much with the actors who are winning these awards, but more so with the people who are actually voting and perhaps the flawed system in which votes are cast.
While little is known about who exactly makes up the Television Academy voters, the organization is made up of 20,000 entertainment professionals which include directors, performers, sound editors and writers, according to an article from USA Today.
A recent article from Variety stated that the Television Academy was responsible for viewing and evaluating 133 dramas, 68 comedies, 41 limited series and 41 television movies for this year’s Emmys.
Undoubtedly, with streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and HBO Max becoming huge factors in recent years, it’s made things a bit more complex.
However, this is where changes need to be made on the Television Academy’s part. Whether it’s taking a closer look at the voting methods or adjusting the window in which streaming services and networks can submit shows, major adjustments need to be made and checks and balances need to be in place.
Comparatively, a 2013 L.A. Times article found that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences consisted of voting members who were 93 percent white and 77 percent male. While those numbers have changed some since then, it’s still a disheartening reality to face.
Although Hollywood has seen a substantial boom of diversity within film and television in recent years, the need for inclusivity in all aspects of the industry has never been greater.
