The Entire History of Diversity at the Emmy Awards

July 2024 · 59 minute read
Uzo Aduba accepts her award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Orange Is the New Black during the 2015 Emmy Awards.

The 2016 Emmy race has begun, and Vulture will take a close look at the contenders until voting closes, on June 27.

Uzo Aduba, Viola Davis, and Regina King made headlines when they took home acting awards in their respective drama categories at the 2015 Emmy Awards. The wins by three black women in one night stirred excitement — was a sea change underway, some wondered? — quickly followed by an inevitable question: Is this a fluke?

Ahead of this year’s Emmys, Vulture decided to investigate. We took a look back at the awards’ track record when it comes to diversity, focusing on representation among actors. In the graphics at the bottom of this post, we’ve documented every nominee and winner for each of the major show and acting categories for drama, comedy, and miniseries since the Emmys began, more than 60 years ago. Given the ensemble casts for many of these shows, we’ve highlighted certain shows based on how much representation there is for actors of color within their casts. 

A caveat: The numbers here don’t tell the whole story. They can’t account for how fleshed out the characters are on each of these shows or how many lines of dialogue each actor of color is given. Two supporting actors of color on a show like ER, with a huge ensemble cast, don’t necessarily account for as much representation as two supporting actors of color on a show like Lost, where a significant amount of time is spent developing each character. But for the purposes of this graphic, we created designations (explained in our key below) to give a general sense of how much meaningful diversity there has been among Emmy winners over the years.

And that said, the data does reveal some interesting takeaways. Here’s an overall look:

Outstanding Acting

Winners who are people of color (in all acting categories)

5.61% or 39 out of 695 total winners

Nominees who are people of color (in all acting categories)

8.69% or 281 out of 3,235 total nominees

Outstanding Actress for Comedy is, in recent history, the least diverse category — no women of color have been nominated since Phylicia Rashad in 1986, except America Ferrera in 2007 and 2008.

The 281 acting nominees who are people of color:

Race% of total noms, including white Black6.28% – 203 noms Latino/Latina1.57% – 51 noms East Asian0.37% – 12 noms Middle Eastern0.3% – 10 noms South Asian0.12% – 4 noms Native American0.03% – 1 nom

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama

Not surprisingly, there are far more people of color in supporting roles than leading ones on shows nominated for Emmys (making Davis’s win for Outstanding Actress in a Drama last year, quite literally, unique — she is the only actress of color to ever have won in that category). Among the nominee categories, Outstanding Supporting Actor and Actress, for both Drama and Miniseries, have been the most diverse.

Outstanding Drama, Comedy, and Miniseries

Shows with predominantly nonwhite casts or a person of color in a leading role that have won

4.71% or 8 out of 170 total winners

Shows with predominantly nonwhite casts or a person of color in a leading role that have been nominated

7.04% or 60 out of 852 total nominees

Of shows with predominantly nonwhite casts or a person of color in a leading role, 25 miniseries have been nominated compared to 38 dramas and comedies combined, even though there have been 457 fewer miniseries nominations in total.

Outstanding Miniseries nominations with casts or leads of color, out of 197 total nominations. = Winners Outstanding Comedy + Drama nominations with casts or leads of color, out of 654 total nominations.

Acting Winners (Lead and Supporting)

Comedy

3.3% people of color or 8 out of 242 total winners

Drama

6.6% people of color or 16 out of 242 total winners

Miniseries

7.1% people of color or 15 out of 211 total winners

The nominations for this year’s Emmys will be announced in July, and some of the best series of the past year have featured actors of colors in prominent roles. Will new shows like Master of None, Mr. Robot, and The People v. O.J. Simpson break through? Will returning shows, from Jane the Virgin to Fresh Off the Boat, Black-ish to Being Mary Jane, be recognized? Until then, check out our more detailed, category-by-category breakdown on Emmy contenders through 2015, below.

But first! Here are some notes to guide you through:

*Note: Up until 1964, there were no genre-specific categories for comedy and drama acting awards. On the graphics below, you’ll notice the pre-1964 acting contenders repeat in both categories. For the purposes of our calculations, we looked at each nominee during those years and sorted him or her by genre. For example, Carl Lee appears twice in Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy, and Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama, but he is only counted once in our tally.

Since 1989, there have been two nominations for shows with predominantly nonwhite casts or a nonwhite lead: Ugly Betty in 2007 and Orange Is the New Black in 2014 (which moved to the Drama category the next year). Between 1992–2004, there were no shows with predominantly nonwhite casts or a nonwhite lead nominated for Outstanding Comedy. Notably, there were seven between 1985–1991 (The Cosby Show, Frank’s Place, Designing Women), and five between 1969–1973 (Julie, The Bill Cosby Show, Sanford and Son, Room 222). Modern Family, which features more than one actor of color in a supporting role, has won for Outstanding Comedy five times, while The Cosby Show is the only show with a predominantly nonwhite cast or a nonwhite lead to ever win in the category.

Thirty-eight out of the 324 comedy nominees have featured either a predominantly nonwhite cast (10), at least one nonwhite lead (6), or more than one nonwhite supporting actor (22).

In Emmy history, there have been three predominantly nonwhite shows nominated for Outstanding Drama: The White Shadow, I’ll Fly Away, and Orange Is the New Black. NYPD Blue is the only show featuring at least one nonwhite lead to have won for Outstanding Drama, and since 2000, the only show with a predominantly nonwhite cast or nonwhite lead to have been nominated is OITNB. Notably, from 1992–1999, there were eight nominations for shows with a predominantly nonwhite cast, or at least one person of color in a leading role (five of them went to NYPD Blue), and from 1980–1985, there were six (half of them went to Fame).

Sixty-four out of the 330 drama nominees have featured either a predominantly nonwhite cast (3), at least one nonwhite lead (16), or more than one nonwhite supporting actor (45).

This is by far the show category with the most diversity. Over the years, 15 shows with predominantly nonwhite casts have been nominated for Outstanding Miniseries, and a third of them have won. Peaks include 1989–2000, when 12 miniseries with predominantly nonwhite casts or a person of color in a leading role were either nominated or won. Just in the last four years, four shows with people of color at the center have been nominated (Luther, Treme, The Bible), though one hasn’t won since 2000’s The Corner.

Thirty-five out of 197 miniseries nominees have featured either a predominantly nonwhite cast (15), at least one nonwhite lead (10), or more than one nonwhite supporting actor (10).

*Note: The Outstanding Miniseries category wasn’t created until 1973. Before then, there was a category designated as “Outstanding Single Performance,” which meant a performance that only occurred for one season or even less. This eventually became the categories of Outstanding Actor and Actress in a Miniseries, which is why, as you’ll see below, those two categories begin in 1955, almost 20 years before Outstanding Miniseries would.

Only two nonwhite actors have ever won for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy in Emmy history — Robert Guillaume in 1985, for Benson, and Tony Shalhoub, who won three times for Monk. (Fun fact: Guillaume is also the only actor of color to ever win for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, for his role in Soap.) Twenty-eight of the 283 nominees in this category, or 9.9 percent, have been men of color. Shalhoub (who was nominated eight times for Monk), Guillaume (nominated five times for Benson), and Don Cheadle (nominated four times for House of Lies) together make up 61 percent of those nominations. No actors of color were nominated between 1989–2000.

Two actresses of color have won in this category — Isabel Sanford in 1981 for The Jeffersons and America Ferrera in 2007 for Ugly Betty. Fifteen of the 292 nominees in this category, or 5.1 percent, have been women of color. Isabel Sanford accounts for seven of those nominations, for her role in The Jeffersons. Since Phylicia Rashad’s last nomination, in 1986 for The Cosby Show, no actress of color has been nominated aside from America Ferrera in 2007 and 2008.

This ties with Supporting Actress in a Comedy as the second-least-diverse category among the acting nominees. One actor of color has won in this category: Robert Guillaume in 1979 for Soap. Twelve of the 278 nominees in this category, or 4.3 percent, have been men of color, five of whom were nominated in just the last two years. No actors of color were nominated between 1990 and 2008.

Only one actor of color has won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy in Emmy history — Jackée Harry in 1987 for 227. Twenty-two of the 280 nominees in this category, or 7.9 percent, have been women of color — ten of them were in the period from 1981–1988, while nine have come in the last decade. Marla Gibbs was nominated five times for The Jeffersons, and Sofia Vergara was nominated four times for Modern Family.

Five Outstanding Actor in a Drama awards have gone to people of color — three of these awards went to Bill Cosby for I, Spy from 1966–1968 (Cosby was also the first black actor to ever win a Primetime Emmy). James Earl Jones won in 1991 for Gabriel’s Fire, and Andre Braugher took home the trophy in 1998 for Homicide: Life on the Street. Fourteen of the 275 nominees in this category, or 5.1 percent, have been men of color: Jimmy Smits was notably nominated five times for NYPD: Blue. No people of color have been nominated in this category since Braugher’s nomination for Gideon’s Crossing, in 2001.

When it comes to acting winners, this is the least diverse category. The only person of color to ever win here is Viola Davis, who took home the Emmy in 2015 for How to Get Away With Murder. Fourteen of the 244 nominees in this category, or 5.7 percent, have been women of color: Debbie Allen alone was nominated four times for Fame. No women of color were nominated in this category between 1996–2012; since 2013, there have been four nominations for actresses of color for Kerry Washington (twice), Taraji P. Henson, and Davis.

Four actors of color have won here — Albert Paulsen in 1964 for One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Edward James Olmos in 1985 for Miami Vice, Jimmy Smits in 1990 for L.A. Law, and Héctor Elizondo in 1997 for Chicago Hope. Thirty-seven of the 257 nominees, or 14.4 percent, have gone to actors of color, making it the most diverse acting category, nominee-wise. Smits was nominated six times for L.A. Law, and Elizondo was nominated four times for Chicago Hope.

This is the second-most-diverse acting category when it comes to both nominees and winners. Six actors of color have taken home an Emmy here: Gail Fisher in 1970 for Mannix, Alfre Woodard in 1984 for Hill Street Blues, Madge Sinclair in 1991 for Gabriel’s Fire, Mary Alice in 1993 for I’ll Fly Away, Archie Panjabi in 2010 for The Good Wife, and Uzo Aduba in 2015 for Orange Is the New Black. Thirty-four of the 249 nominees in this category, or 13.7 percent, have been actresses of color, and nearly half of them have been in the last 11 years. Fisher was nominated four times for Mannix, Sinclair was nominated three times for Trapper John, M.D., and once for Gabriel’s Fire, and Sandra Oh was nominated five times for Grey’s Anatomy.

Two actors of color have won in this category: Raúl Juliá for The Burning Season in 1995 (posthumously) and Andre Braugher for Thief in 2006. Thirty-three of the 331 nominees in this category, or 10 percent, have been men of color. Given the limited nature of miniseries, not many actors in this category have been nominated more than once (though Laurence Fishburne was, three times), meaning a greater number of working actors of color are represented here than in other categories.

Five actresses of color have won in this category: Cicely Tyson in 1974 for The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Lynn Whitfield in 1991 for The Josephine Baker Story, Alfre Woodard in 1997 for Miss Evers’ Boys, Halle Berry in 2000 for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and S. Epatha Merkerson in 2005 for Lackawanna Blues. Twenty-five of the 326 nominees in this category, or 7.7 percent, have been women of color. Woodard and Tyson were both nominated four times each — Tyson was also the first black actress to win a Primetime Emmy.

Two actors of color have won in this category: James Earl Jones in 1991, for Heat Wave, and Jeffrey Wright in 2004, for Angels in America. Twenty-four of the 210 nominees in this category, or 11.4 percent, have been men of color. Danny Glover, James Earl Jones, and Don Cheadle were each nominated twice. August Schellenberg – the only Native American actor to have ever been recognized at the Emmys in the major acting categories – was nominated for Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee in 2007. Between 2008–2014, no actors of color were nominated.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries — the category in which Regina King won last year — is the most diverse of the acting categories when it comes to winners. Six actresses, or 14.3 percent of winners, have been women of color: Esther Rolle in 1979 for Summer of My German Soldier; Roxana Zal in 1984 for Something About Amelia; Ruby Dee in 1991 for Decoration Day; Cicely Tyson in 1994 for Castalia; Shohreh Aghdashloo in 2009 for House of Saddam; and King in 2015, for American Crime. Twenty-three of the 210 nominees in this category, or 11 percent, have been women of color. Alfre Woodard was nominated five times, and Tyson and Dee were nominated three times each.

The Entire History of Emmy-Award Diversity

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