Finally! It’s the recognition of Black artists for us!
The 2020 Emmy Awards resulted in huge wins for Black creatives. The annual celebration streamed virtually this year due to the pandemic, but it was still an exciting affair. The awards show broadcasted for five nights online, hosted by comedian and Nailed It! host, Nicole Byer. The grand finale aired Saturday, September 19th on FXX and was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.
We can only think of two words for the amazing @nicolebyer who hosted FIVE nights of unprecedented Creative Arts #Emmys! pic.twitter.com/ClhPUMUdmB
— Television Academy (@TelevisionAcad) September 20, 2020
The nominees served fabulous looks from the comfort of their homes and black-ish stars Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson made a special appearance. Although they couldn’t meet in person the stars attended virtual after-parties hosted by Little Fires Everywhere castmates Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon. It was a night to remember, and there was much to celebrate.
HBO’s Watchmen, a fan favorite, took home the Emmy for best-limited series while RuPaul’s Drag Race took home two for hairstyling and makeup. Our forever President and First Lady, Barack and Michelle Obama, also took home an Emmy for their Higher Ground Productions company, winning best directing for a documentary/nonfiction program for American Factory. Chief black-ish hairstylist, Araxi Lindsey, also took home an Emmy for outstanding contemporary hairstyling.
The evening also featured several historic wins for Black actors. According to NY Daily News, Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us) and daughter Jasmine Cephas Jones (#FreeRayshawn) made history as the first father-daughter duo to win Emmy awards in the same year for their work. Also, 24-year-old actress, Zendaya, became the youngest woman to ever win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her work in Euphoria, making her just the second woman to hold the title, Elle reports.
Ron Cephas Jones and Jasmine Cephas Jones have become the first father-daughter duo to both win #Emmys in the same year https://t.co/AkbkFQr231 pic.twitter.com/l4kws64dxC
advertisement— Variety (@Variety) September 20, 2020
Below we’ve compiled a list of every single Black 2020 Emmy winner.
Cord Jefferson won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special for his episode of HBO’s Watchmen “This Extraordinary Being”.
Dave Chappelle won two Emmy’s for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special and Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) for his work on Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones, which aired on Netflix.
Eddie Murphy won Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series for his hosting of NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
Labrinth took home an award for Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics for his song “All for Us,” which aired in the Euphoria episode “And Salt The Earth Behind You.”
Laurence Fishburne won the Emmy for Outstanding Actor In A Short Form Comedy Or Drama Series for his role in Quibi’s #FreeRayshawn.
Laurence Fishburne picks up his third career #Emmy, winning Outstanding Actor In A Short Form Comedy Or Drama Series for his work in #FreeRayshawn (@quibi)! pic.twitter.com/wTxKXD8wyk
— Television Academy (@TelevisionAcad) September 18, 2020
Lisa Cortes and Roger Ross Williams won an Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special for their work on HBO’s Apollo documentary.
Mahershala Ali, Amatus Karim Ali, and Mimi Valdes won an Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program for their work as executive producers on HBO’s We Are The Dream: The Kids Of The Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest.
Maya Rudolph won two Emmys, one for Outstanding Guest Actress in a comedy series for her portrayal of Senator Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live and another for Outstanding Character Voice-over Performance for her work as Connie the Hormone Monstress in an episode of Netflix’s Big Mouth “How To Have An Orgasm”.
Michael Jordan’s documentary The Last Dance won the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.
Regina King won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie for her role as Angela Abar/Sister Night in Watchmen. She made history, tying the record with Alfre Woodard for most acting Emmys won by a Black performer, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Regina King!
2015 – Emmy for American Crime
2016 – Emmy for American Crime
2018 – Emmy for Seven Seconds
2019 – Oscar for If Beale Street Could Talk
2020 – Emmy for Watchmen!!#Emmys pic.twitter.com/ciY72qANIr— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) September 21, 2020
Rickey Minor won an Emmy award for Outstanding Music Direction for his work at The Kennedy Center Honors.
RuPaul won an Emmy for outstanding host for a reality or competition program for RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Stan Lathan won a long-overdue Emmy, his first after nearly five decades in the industry, for outstanding directing for a variety special and Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded), Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones, Essence reports.
Tyler Perry received the 2020 Primetime Emmy’s Governors Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts and Sciences or Management of Television. He made history as the first Black person to be awarded this honor individually, according to Yahoo!.
Uzo Aduba won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie for her role as Shirley Chisholm in Mrs. America.
The Emmys. An incredible night and true joy to celebrate the work of our community. Thank you @televisionacad for the tremendous honor for my work in @mrsam_fxonhulu It was a real privilege to model the spirit of my character, Shirley Chisholm, https://t.co/eyr1TRB6UU pic.twitter.com/NX1k45UV9E
— Uzo Aduba (@UzoAduba) September 21, 2020
Victoria Thomas won an award for Outstanding Casting for Limited Series, Movie or Special for her work in casting on HBO’s Watchmen.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II won his first Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or movie for his role as Cal Abar/Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen.
Congratulations to all of the winners!
Photos Courtesy of @iamreginaking/@tylerperry/@zendaya/Instagram