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The 2024 Emmy nominations: A celebration of diversity and representation
The 2024 Emmy nominations are out, and this year’s slate of nominees has a solid showing for Asian American, Latino, Indigenous, and LGBTQ representation in the acting categories. This year, with 96 acting slots up for grabs, there is an increase in the number of people of color nominated across all acting categories, with 30 recognized. Last year’s crop of nominees included 25 people of color. In 2022, 42 people of color were nominated in the acting categories (30 in main and 12 in guest); in 2021, 25 were nominated (19 in main and six in guest).
Indigenous actors and creators were a bright spot in this year’s nominations. Supporting actress (limited) nominees Lily Gladstone from “Under the Bridge” and Kali Reis from “True Detective: Night Country” became the first Indigenous women to be nominated for acting Emmys. FX’s final season of “Reservation Dogs” scored a long overdue nomination for outstanding comedy series, bringing its star D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai his first acting nom and the first lead acting mention for any Indigenous actor in TV Academy history.
Popular on Variety, Taika Waititi, an executive producer on “Reservation Dogs” and “What We Do in the Shadows,” is double nominated, marking the first time an Indigenous person has received two mentions.
This year’s acting ballots show 1,957 actors were submitted in all the Emmy performer categories, including the main lead and supporting races in drama and comedy, guest acting and short form. Latinos were less than 6% of the submitted candidates, resulting in four nominees: Sofia Vergara (lead actress limited for “Griselda”), Liza Colón-Zayas (supporting comedy actress for “The Bear”), Nava Mau (supporting actress limited for “Baby Reindeer”) and Néstor Carbonell (guest drama actor for “Shōgun”). Vergara is the second Latina to receive a nod in the category, following Anya Taylor-Joy (of Argentinian descent) for “The Queen’s Gambit” in 2021, while Colón-Zayas and Mau are the third in their respective categories. Carbonell is the third ever nominated after Jimmy Smits and 2022 winner Colman Domingo.
Moreover, “Only Murders in the Building” executive producer Selena Gomez made history as the most Emmy-nominated Latina producer with her third nomination for Hulu’s hit mystery comedy series. Adding to her exciting day, she finally landed her first acting nom for playing the dry-witted Mabel. She’s the fourth Latina to be nominated in the category’s history, following Rita Moreno for “9 to 5” in 1983, America Ferrera’s two noms for “Ugly Betty” in 2007 and 2008, and Jenna Ortega for “Wednesday” last year. Ferrera is the only winner.
“True Detective: Night Country” showrunner Issa López was triple-nominated for directing, writing and producing the fourth season of the anthology series. She’s the first Latino to be nominated for directing and the second Latino to be recognized in writing after René Echevarria (2005 for “The 4400”).
FX’s dramatic epic “Shōgun,” which is the second non-English language series nominated following “Squid Game” in 2022, delivered the majority of AAPI acting nominees this year, with lead actor and actress nominees Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai and supporting players Tadanobu Asano and Takehiro Hira. Also in the lead drama actress is “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” star Maya Erskine for her turn in the Prime Video TV adaptation of the spy movie. Erskine and Sawai are the second and third Asian women nominated after Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve” in 2018-2020). Noteworthy, Oh is nominated as an executive producer for the TV movie “Quiz Lady” along with Awkwafina and director Jessica Yu. Sanada is the second Asian actor recognized as a lead drama actor after Lee Jung Jae for “Squid Game,” who went on to win the race.
Other AAPI representation is seen with nominee Bowen Yang, who landed his third acting nom (fourth overall) for his work on NBC’s long-running sketch series “Saturday Night Live,” and Greta Lee, who picked up her first nod for playing Stella Bak on Apple’s “The Morning Show.”
For Black actors, there were definitive highs with the nominees. After becoming the second Black woman to win lead comedy actress, Quinta Brunson is back with her third nod for ABC’s mockumentary “Abbott Elementary.” In 2022, Brunson became the first Black woman to receive three nominations in comedy for producing, writing, and starring in the hit series. Ayo Edebiri joins her for “The Bear” after moving to lead and becoming the third Black woman to win supporting comedy (after Jackée Harry for “227” and Sheryl Lee Ralph, who is once again nominated for “Abbott”). Edebiri, 28, is now the youngest Black woman nominated for lead comedy actress.
Quadruple nominee Maya Rudolph landed an impressive four nominations — original music and lyrics (“Maya Rudolph Mother’s Day Monologue” from “SNL”), guest comedy actress (“SNL”), character voice-over performance (“Big Mouth”) and lead comedy actress (“Loot”).
With Brunson, Edebiri, Gomez and Rudolph, this marks the first time four women of color occupy the majority of any lead acting category. The outstanding narrator category is also comprised of mostly Black artists: Angela Bassett (“Queens”), Morgan Freeman (“Life on our Planet”) and Octavia Spencer (“Lost Women of Highway”).
In addition, Brunson and Edebiri are only the second and third Black women to receive multiple Emmy acting nominations for playing the same character after Uzo Aduba for “Orange Is the New Black.”
Nine acting races have more than one actor of color nominated — lead comedy actress, lead drama actress (Erskine and Sawai), lead drama actor (Idris Elba, Donald Glover, Sanada), supporting drama actress (Nicole Beharie, Lee, Karen Pittman), supporting drama actor (Asano, Hira), supporting comedy actress (Colón-Zayas, Janelle James, Sheryl Lee Ralph), supporting comedy actor (Lionel Boyce, Tyler James Williams, Yang), supporting actress limited (Gladstone, Aja Naomi King, Mau, Reis) and guest comedy actress (Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Rudolph).
LGBTQ artists also made strides this year. Mau, a supporting actress (limited) nominee for “Baby Reindeer,” is the second transgender actor recognized in the main acting categories after Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (lead drama actress nominee for “Pose” in 2021). Unfortunately, Rodriguez was up for consideration for her work in Apple’s comedy series “Loot,” but couldn’t make the competitive landscape of six.
The Creative Arts and Governors Gala ceremonies will occur over two nights on Sept. 7-8. The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards will air on ABC on Sunday, Sept. 15.
Reflecting on this year’s nominations, it’s clear that the Emmys are making strides towards a more inclusive and representative landscape. The recognition of diverse talents not only enriches the industry but also inspires future generations of actors and creators from all backgrounds. As we look forward to the awards ceremony, one can’t help but feel a sense of optimism for the future of television and film.
