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Emmys Branded ‘Disgraceful’ As Major Awards Go To White Actors 

The Emmys has been branded 'disgraceful' as all 12 Major awards went to white actors, despite a record number of non-white nominees.
Credit: Netflix & HBO via YouTube

The Emmys has been branded ‘disgraceful’ as all 12 major acting awards went to white actors. 

A record 49 non-white performers were nominated across both acting and reality hosting categories, but they all missed out on top prizes at the event. 

Twitter was awash with the hashtag ‘#EmmysSoWhite’ as many took to the platform to criticise the awards ceremony for moving ‘backwards’. 

Watch stars on the red carpet for the 2021 Emmys in the clip below…

One user tweeted: “Black host, Black entertainment skits, Black announcer, Black commercials, Black musical breaks, speeches about inclusion. All Black everything but winners.”

Another added: “Okay TV and film industry, enough talk about diversity and inclusion. Here is what I need you to do.

“Integrate all of the development offices, writers’ rooms, production offices, and production crews and cast to reflect the true US population.”

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 MJ Rodriguez
Stars like MJ Rodriguez missed out on awards at the Emmys. Credit: @mjrodriguez7/Instagram

A third said: “Was hoping that we wouldn’t have to have #EmmysSoWhite trending again this year, but here we are… AGAIN. They talk about diversity, but sadly the winners reflect the opposite. Will things ever change?”

Several actors of colour, including Regé-Jean Page, the late Michael K Williams, MJ Rodriguez, and Billy Porter were all expected to win an award at the event, but none of them received a nod despite making up 44% of nominees. 

The Crown dominated the wins in the drama categories, with Olivia Colman, Josh O’Connor, Tobias Menzies, and Gillian Anderson all scooping awards.

One non-white star who did receive an award was Michaela Cole, who won ‘Outstanding Writing for a Television Limited Anthology Series or Movie’ for I May Destroy You. The 33-year-old delivered a powerful speech dedicated to anyone who had ever been a victim of s**ual assault.

Last year saw four black actors winning awards across major categories. These included Euphoria star Zendaya, Watchmen’s Regina King and Mrs America actress Uzo Aduba.

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Written by Aimee Walker

Aimee is a senior content editor at IGV who specialises in finding the best original stories, trending topics and entertainment news. She graduated from Birmingham City University with a degree in Media and Communications.