5 Amazing Moments When Women Dominated At The Emmy Awards

At this year’s 75th Emmy Awards– which aired Jan. 15 after a postponement from September due to the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes – women dominated, highlighting wage gap and social justice issues, making history, and paying homage to the brilliant and powerful actresses who came before them.

This was also the first time in Emmy history that Black women received awards both for best lead actress and supporting actress in a comedy. Here are a few of the best moments for women at this year’s event.

Quinta Brunson won lead actress in a comedy series for her role in “Abbot Elementary,” beating out Christina Applegate (“Dead to Me”), Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Natasha Lyonne (“Poker Face”), and Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”).

She accepted the award from comedy legend Carol Burnett and became just the second Black actress in Emmy’s history to win the category, 42 years after Isabel Sanford won for The Jeffersons.

“I love making Abbott Elementary so much and I am so happy to be able to live my dream and act out comedy and I say it every time, but I just love comedy so much that I am so happy to be able to get this,” she said in her emotional acceptance speech. “I didn’t prepare anything because I just didn’t think…I love Abbott Elementary, thank you so much.”

Niecy Nash-Betts won supporting actress in a limited series or movie for “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” beating out Annaleigh Ashford (“Welcome to Chippendales”), Maria Bello (“Beef”), Claire Daines (“Fleishman Is in Trouble”), Juliette Lewis (“Welcome to Chippendales”), Camila Morrone (“Daisey Jones & The Six”), and Merritt Wever (“Tiny Beautiful Things”).

“I want to thank me, for believing in me, and doing what they said I could not do,” she said. “Finally, I accept this award on behalf of every Black and Brown woman who has gone unheard yet over-policed–Glenda Cleveland, like Sandra Bland, like Breonna Taylor. As an artist, my job is to speak truth to power, and baby, I’m going to do it until the day I die.”

Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”) won supporting actress in a comedy series for her role as a chef in the streaming series, beating out Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Janelle James (“Abbott Elementary”), Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”), Juno Temple (“Ted Lasso”), Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”) and Jessica Williams (“Shrinking”).

“Thank you so much for loving me and letting me feel beautiful and Black and proud of all of that,” Edebiri said to her parents, who were present at the awards ceremony. “Probably not, like, a dream to immigrate to this country and have your child be like ‘I want to do improve,’ but you’re real ones.”

Jennifer Coolidge won supporting actress in a drama series for “The White Lotus,” beating out Elizabeth Debicki (“The Crown”), Meghann Fahey (“The White Lotus”), Sabrina Impacciatore (“The White Lotus”), Aubrey Plaza (“The White Lotus”), Rhea Seehorn (“Better Call Saul”), J. Smith-Cameron (“Succession”), and Simona Tabasco (“The White Lotus”).

After putting her award down because she didn’t “have the strength” to hold it, she thanked the show’s creator Mike White and quipped that she’s been told her character is “definitely dead.”

Amid a breathless acceptance speech, Coolidge called back to her character’s demise on the show, where she told the captain of a yacht excursion, “These gays, they’re trying to murder me!”

“I want to thank all of the evil gays,” she said, eliciting laughs from the audience.

When presenter Quinta Brunson asked what Marla Gibbs – whose storied career includes the sitcom The Jeffersons, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Scandal and Touched by an Angel – what her secret was to having such a long and successful career, Gibbs replied, “Oh that’s easy, baby, the wage gap. I got to work 20 more years before I can retire… Black don’t crack baby, and it’s never too late.”