Emmy Diversity: Rami Malek, Aziz Ansari, Regina King & More Among Big Winners [VIDEO]
For the second year in a row, the Emmys rewarded a diverse group of actors, directors and writers, awarding the wide breadth of stories being told on television today.
Television has become one of the best mediums for telling stories about women, people of color and those in the LGBT community, and the Emmys have embraced them. Just about every culture was represented at Sunday night's ceremony, and even two of the white male actors who collected trophies won for playing complex women.
Here's the full list of diverse actors and actresses who won Emmys at Sunday's ceremony:
Rami Malek - Mr. Robot
Malek was the first non-white actor to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series since 1998, where Andre Braugher won for Homicide: Life on the Street. An Egyptian American, Malek noted the significance of himself not being the typical leading man in Hollywood in his heart-warming acceptance speech.
Kate McKinnon - Saturday Night Live
McKinnon won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her various scene-stealing characters on Saturday Night Live. The actress is openly lesbian, and resides as the first and only openly gay actress to be hired for SNL. She also made history as the first variety performer to win an Emmy in one of the comedy categories.
Aziz Ansari & Alan Yang - Master of None
Ansari and Yang, who are from Indian and Taiwanese descent, respectively, won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the Master of None episode "Parents". Yang took the opportunity in his acceptance speech to speak on the lack of quality Asian representation in Hollywood.
Jill Soloway - Transparent
Soloway won her second consecutive Emmy this year for her directing on Transparent. The director and creator recently came out, revealing her relationship with feminist icon Eileen Myles. Soloway used her speech to advocate for trans equality and female empowerment.
Courtney B. Vance, Sterling K. Brown and Sarah Paulson -The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Despite being in the business for several decades now, this was Vance's first Emmy nomination and win, taking home the Limited Series/Movie Lead Actor trophy for playing Johnnie Cochran in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. The same goes for Brown, who won Limited Series/Movie Supporting Actor on his first nomination, for playing Christopher Darden. In addition to these working Black actors there's also Paulson, won won Limited Series/Movie Lead Actress for playing Marcia Clark. Paulson, who is sexually fluid, gave a shout-out to her girlfriend, Holland Taylor, during her speech.
Regina King - American Crime
Black actress King won her second consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for American Crime. However, she played a different character this time around, the affluent Terri LaCroix.
This year's Emmys certainly provides an interesting contrast to the Oscars, an organization that has gotten in trouble over the past two years for completely snubbing non-white actors.
