Emmys Diversity Report: Indigenous, Asian and Latinx Actors Earn Landmark Nominations

The 2024 Emmy nominations were unveiled and this year’s class of nominees proved there was plenty to celebrate for the indigenous community , along with strong showings — some history-making — for Asian, Latino, Black and LGBTQ+ actors.

Often overlooked by the Television Academy, indigenous actors were well-represented at the Emmys, which appeared to right the ship by honoring Lily Gladstone for “Under the Bridge,” Afro-indigenous actress Kali Reis for “True Detective: Night Country” and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai for “Reservation Dogs” with individual acting nominations. It’s the first time three indigenous actors have been honored by the Academy for acting in any given year.

Gladstone, who is of Piegan Blackfeet and Nez Perce heritage, and Reis, who belongs to the Seaconke Wampanoag tribe, are nominated in the same category — outstanding supporting actress in a drama series — marking the first time in Emmy history more than one indigenous actress has been nominated at the same time.

Woon-A-Tai, who is a Canadian actor of indigenous descent, was one of the day’s delightful surprises when the 22-year-old scored his first nomination for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series, making history as the first indigenous actor to be honored in the category.

It’s also the first time FX on Hulu’s “Reservation Dogs,” a coming-of-age series that followed four indigenous teenagers growing up on tribal land in rural Oklahoma, was nominated for comedy series. The show, which ended its acclaimed three-season run last September, had been shut out at the Emmys in prior years. It also nabbed additional nominations this year for editing and cinematography.

The trio join late actor August Schellenberg as the only indigenous actors to receive an Emmy nomination for acting. Schellenberg was the first to be recognized by the Television Academy, scoring a nom for his supporting role in 2007 for the HBO TV movie, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.”

Led by the pure domination of “Shōgun” with 25 total nominations, the most of any series this year, FX’s Japanese historical drama tied the record set by Netflix’s “Squid Game” in 2022 with five acting nods for its Asian cast. (The original “Shōgun” limited series on NBC earned three acting nominations in 1981.) Hiroyuki Sanada became the second Asian actor after “Squid Game’s” Lee Jung-jae to land a drama actor nomination. Anna Sawai also earned her first nomination for lead drama actress, following in the footsteps of Sandra Oh, who scored three straight nominations from 2018 through 2020.

Japanese actors Tadanobu Asano and Takehiro Hira slipped in with supporting drama actor honors. They’re the first actors of Asian descent to be recognized in this category after Max Minghella in 2021 for “Handmaid’s Tale.”

“Shōgun” is only the second non-English series to be honored with a drama series nomination following “Squid Game.” “3 Body Problem,” co-created by Alexander Woo, also earned a nom in the category.

Other notable nominations for actors of Asian descent, some of them first-timers, include: “Mr. & Mrs. Smith’s” Maya Erskine for lead drama actress, competing opposite Sawai; “The Morning Show’s” Greta Lee for supporting drama actress; and “Saturday Night Live’s” Bowen Yang for supporting comedy actor. “Quiz Lady,” Hulu’s TV movie starring and produced by Awkwafina and Sandra Oh, was also nominated.

The Latinx community had much to cheer about. Sofia Vergara, who was nominated several times over at the height of “Modern Family” success, rewrote the Emmy record books when she became only the second Latina actress to be honored for lead actress in a limited series or anthology series or movie for “Griselda,” following Anya Taylor-Joy in 2021. It was also Vergara’s first Emmy nomination for a dramatic role.

Not to be outdone, Selena Gomez was finally recognized in her third try for lead actress in a comedy series for her performance in “Only Murders in the Building.” As an executive producer on the Hulu series, she is now the most nominated Latina producer with three comedy series nods.

“Baby Reindeer” star Nava Mau made history as the first trans Latina actress to earn an Emmy nomination in the supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie category.

“The Bear’s” Liza Colon-Zayas became the first Latina actress to be nominated for supporting comedy actress after Rosie Perez did it in 2021 for “The Flight Attendant.” “Shōgun” actor Nestor Carbonell, who is of Cuban descent, also earned a guest drama actor nomination.

Black actors continued to lock their Emmy spots. “Abbott Elementary” continued to prove that three seasons in, Quinta Brunson — who was the first Black woman to win the best comedy actress Emmy in over 40 years — secured a repeat nomination. That category, which welcomes “The Bear’s” Ayo Edebiri after she made the switch from supporting to lead, is one of the most diverse, with fellow nominees Maya Rudolph (“Loot”) and Gomez also in contention. With Brunson, Edebiri and Rudolph nominated, it’s the first time three Black actresses are honored in the category — the most of any year.

Brunson’s “Abbott” co-stars Tyler James Williams, Janelle James and Sheryl Lee Ralph also scored repeat nominations in the supporting comedy categories. “The Bear’s” Lionel Boyce enjoyed his first supporting nod, while “Lessons in Chemistry” star Aja Naomi King earned kudos for supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie category and “The Morning Show’s” Nicole Beharie and Karen Pittman were recognized for supporting drama actress.

Rudolph had even more to celebrate as she further cemented her spot as the third most-nominated in the guest comedy actress shortlist for her “Saturday Night Live” hosting stint, where she’ll be competing against recent Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph . (She also received a nod for voice-over performance in “Big Mouth.”) Michaela Coel secured a nomination for her guest spot in “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” Lamorne Morris snagged his first Emmy nomination for his supporting part in “Fargo,” while Sterling K. Brown got a nod for voice-over performance in “Invincible” and Eric Andre received honors for his Adult Swim sketch comedy series, “The Eric Andre Show.”

“Mr. & Mrs. Smith” co-creator Donald Glover notched his first outstanding drama series nomination as an executive producer, as well as a nod for lead actor in a drama series. Idris Elba was among the surprises on nomination morning for Apple TV+’s “Hijack” when he joined Glover in the lead actor in a drama series category.

Among LGBTQ+ actors and projects, efforts were rewarded. “Hacks” star Hannah Einbinder scored her third nomination for supporting actress in a comedy series, while “Ripley’s” Andrew Scott and “Fellow Travelers” lead Matt Bomer were honored for best actor in a limited or anthology series or movie. Bomer’s co-star and “Bridgerton” favorite Jonathan Bailey also earned his first career nomination for supporting actor in a limited series.

Prime Video’s TV movie adaptation of “Red, White & Royal Blue,” which starred Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez as a British prince and the son of the president who fall in love, also took home a nomination for outstanding television movie.

“The Traitors” host Alan Cumming earned a deserved nomination for best host of a reality competition program, alongside Kristen Kish , who made her “Top Chef” debut this past season replacing Padma Lakshmi, and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” emcee RuPaul Charles. “Queer Eye” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” received two and eight nominations (10 if “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked” is counted), respectively.

The 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air live Sunday, Sept. 15 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC and will stream next day on Hulu.

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