For the first time in Emmy history, the awards for all four guest actor categories went to African-American performers.
Tiffany Haddish won best guest actress in a comedy for hosting “Saturday Night Live,” Ron Cephas Jones won best guest actor in a drama for “This Is Us,” Samira Wiley won best guest actress in a drama for “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and Katt Williams on best guest actor in a comedy for “Atlanta.”
Photo: Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph at the 2018 Oscars
Both Jones and Wiley had been nominated previously, while Williams and Haddish won in their first year being nommed.
The wins come amidst a larger push for diversity and inclusion in television, both in front of and behind the camera. When this year’s Emmy nominees were announced, 36 non-white actors were nominated, up 20% from the year before.