Emmy Diversity: Nonwhite Performers Score a Record 41% of Acting Nominations This Year

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Emmy Diversity: Nonwhite Performers Score a Record 41% of Acting Nominations This Year

by Reid Nakamura | July 28, 2020 @ 12:49 PM

49 of the 118 acting nominations went to performers of color

The Television Academy set new records on Tuesday by recognizing nonwhite performers in greater numbers than it has in the past. Among all acting categories, including voice-over and short form series, the 2020 tally stands at 49 nominations for nonwhite performers out of 118 in total, or 41.5%.

In the major acting categories comedy, drama and limited series, 39 of the 102 nominations — or 38.2% — went to nonwhite performers. That’s an improvement from last year, when 24% of nominations in the top categories went to performers of color.

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In terms of racial diversity, the comedy categories (42.5% nonwhite) fared slightly better than the drama categories (32.5% nonwhite), buoyed by a supporting actor category made up primarily of Black actors including Andre Braugher of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” William Jackson Harper of “The Good Place” and Mahershala Ali of “Ramy.” HBO’s “Insecure” also received several acting nods this year, including for supporting actress Yvonne Orji, the only nonwhite actress among eight nominees.

Also Read: Emmy Nominees: The Complete List

The diverse list of comedy nominees marks a significant year-over-year shift after 2019’s all-white lead actress, supporting actress and guest actor categories.

In drama, multiple nominations for “The Crown,” “Succession” and Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show” were offset by returning nominees like Sterling K. Brown of “This Is Us,” Billy Porter of “Pose” and Sandra Oh of “Killing Eve,” though the 12 nonwhite drama nominees (32.5%) are on par with last year’s total of 11 (28.9%).

Limited series got the biggest boost thanks to a strong showing by HBO’s “Watchmen,” which put up six acting nominations, including four for Black actors. Other nominees of color included Tituss Burgess for the “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” interactive movie, Octavia Spencer for “Self Made” and “Little Fires Everywhere” star Kerry Washington.

Also Read: Emmy Voters Respond to the Moment, Snubbing Some Favorites for Record Diversity in Nominations

Several performers from underrepresented groups were nominated across multiple categories, including Sterling K. Brown, who was recognized for his work on both “This Is Us” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”; Wanda Sykes, also of “Maisel” and the animated “Crank Yankers”; and Maya Rudolph, who will not only compete against herself in the guest actress in a comedy category but also landed a third nomination for “Big Mouth.”

However, not all groups shared in the greater representation of this year’s pack of nominees. Only one person who identifies as Latino — actress Alexis Bledel — was nominated for a single award, drawing strong criticism from the congressional Hispanic Caucus Tuesday afternoon.

The TV Academy made it clear that representation and diversity was a priority this year in a statement from chairman and CEO Frank Scherma at the top of the nominations announcement. “This year we are also bearing witness to one of the greatest fights for social justice in history,” Scherma said. “And it is our duty to use this medium for change … [by] amplifying the voices that must be heard and telling the stories that must be told. Because television, by its very nature, connects us all.”

Emmy Nominations 2020: Snubs and Surprises, From Bob Odenkirk to Baby Yoda (Photos)

Between Elisabeth Moss and Bob Odenkirk getting pushed out of their respective categories and an unexpected nomination for "What We Do in the Shadows," Tuesday's Emmy nominations announcement came with more than its share of surprises.
Surprise: "What We Do in the Shadows" FX's series adaptation of the vampire mockumetary from Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi only secured two below the line nominations for its first season, but it's second outing scored big with eight nominations, including an Outstanding Comedy Series nod.
FX
Surprise: "The Mandalorian" Drama heavyweight "Game of Thrones" was out of the running this year, leaving room for a new series to sneak in among a slew of past nominees like "Better Call Saul," "The Handmaid's Tale" and "The Crown." But instead of Apple TV+'s "The Morning Show," voters went with a different new streaming service, nominated Disney+'s "The Mandalorian."
Disney+
Snub: Bob Odenkirk, "Better Call Saul" Odenkirk has been a perennial nominee in the lead actor category since 2015, but this year the "Better Call Saul" star was overlooked in favor of a pair of actors from "Succession" and "The Morning Show" star Steve Carell.
AMC
Snub: Elisabeth Moss, "The Handmaid's Tale" Moss won the award for lead actress in a drama series in 2017 and has been nominated numerous times in the past, but, like "This Is Us" star Mandy Moore and "How to Get Away With Murder's" Viola Davis, failed to make the cut for the most recent season of "Handmaid's Tale."
Hulu
Surprise: Zendaya, "Euphoria" In a category comprised mostly of returning players, dark horse candidate Zendaya managed to sneak a lead actress nod for her role on the HBO drama "Euphoria," slipping in alongside fellow category newcomer Jennifer Aniston of "The Morning Show."
HBO
Snub: "Big Little Lies" HBO's Liane Moriarty adaptation was the belle of awards season in 2017, all but sweeping the limited series categories with its roster of big-name stars including Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. But Season 2's move to the drama series category hurt the show, leaving "Big Little Lies" with only two nominations for supporting stars Laura Dern and Meryl Streep.
HBO
Surprise: "The Masked Singer" Fox's absurdist singing competition finally became too big for Emmy voters to ignore in Season 2, shaking up the Oustanding Competition Program category with 10-time winner "The Amazing Race" ineligible this year.
Fox
Snub: "Westworld" Turns out "Westworld" wasn't the "Game of Thrones" successor HBO hoped iy would be, earning only two acting nods for its third season, for supporting actors Thandie Newton and Jeffrey Wright, and missing out on the marquee drama series category entirely.
HBO
Snub: Kaitlyn Dever, Merritt Wever, "Unbelievable" For much of the voting period, the two stars of Netflix's harrowing "Unbelievable" seemed like locks for lead actress in a limited series nominations, but neither made the cut in a crowded category, not even TV Academy darling Merritt Wever, who has twice before pulled out a surprise upset on Emmy night.
Netflix

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“Better Call Saul” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” leads miss out, while “What We Do in the Shadows” sneaks in

Between Elisabeth Moss and Bob Odenkirk getting pushed out of their respective categories and an unexpected nomination for "What We Do in the Shadows," Tuesday's Emmy nominations announcement came with more than its share of surprises.

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