As the 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards came to a close last Sunday, #EmmySoWhite erupted all over social media. The trending hashtag came after a discouraging ceremony which saw white actors sweep the wins in all major acting categories. While this might have been swept under the rug back in 2015, this unacceptable pattern of snubbing diverse performers in a major awards show is outdated. We have analyzed the Academy and the Golden Globes, so let’s take a closer look at the Emmys.
Lack of Diversity in Emmy Awards
As part of the original three major award shows, the first Primetime Emmy was awarded in 1949. While the other shows focus predominantly on films, the Emmys focus on recognizing excellence in television programming. However, it seems that the Emmy Awards this year are only focusing on white excellence. Given the fact that 44% of nominees in the leading and supporting actors/actresses categories across the drama, comedy, and limited series categories were people of color, and all 12 awards went to white winners, it raises more than a few concerns. Many award shows pledge diversity and inclusivity through larger memberships, Chief of Diversity positions, and “more inclusive” nominations, but this is never truly reflected in the number of board members on the executive level and during award season. The Emmy Foundation Board, which decides the award winners, is 81.5% white and 18.5% POC with only 5 members of the 27 member board identifying as people of color. It has a relatively even distribution between genders, with 13 of the 27 members being women.
Lack of Diversity in Comedy and Drama Categories
Once again, the demographics at the executive level of the Emmy Foundation Board just demonstrates that no structural change is being made. While the Emmys can promise to increase diversity in their institution all they want, the data does not lie. Historically, we can see why the demographics of who wins in the major acting categories falls short. This infographic from Lee and Low Books shows that the two main television categories–drama and comedy–have been dominated by white actors from 1992 to 2015. America Ferrara and Tony Shalhoub are the only people of color to win in the leading acting categories for Comedy. This is the same case with the Drama category in which Viola Davis and Andre Braugher are the only people of color to win in 24 years. The Emmys must make sweeping and quick changes to their system if they want to stay away from the negative backlash and stay true to their commitment to inclusivity. As we saw with the Golden Globes, viewers do care about who they see on the award shows.
An Industry Not for its People
As Viola Davis famously stated in her acceptance speech for the 2015 Emmys, “You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.” This is a systemic and pervasive issue that expands beyond the Emmys. Actors from marginalized groups are not able to be nominated, let alone win awards, because the television industry is not for them. The number of actors from diverse backgrounds is not scarce. The film and television industry just chooses to overlook these talented actors in favor of what they consider is the norm for the big screen.
