The Emmys are still #SoWhite

Television has always been a way for me to see not only myself represented, but also my friends, my neighbours and people I’ve never even met. It has allowed me to widen my scope and look at the world through lenses I haven’t considered before. 

As I watched the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, and every person called up to represent the best performances of the year looked like me, it felt like that scope was getting smaller and smaller.

This year, white performers swept all major acting categories. Only two performers of colour walked away with an Emmy for on-camera or voice work: Ernest Harden Jr., who won outstanding guest actor in a drama series for The Pitt, and Octavia Spencer, who won outstanding narrator for Lost Women of Alaska.

To make matters worse, both awards were given out at the Creative Arts Emmys, which took place the weekend before the main show, and is not streamed live.

When it comes to performance awards, actors of colour have been continuously dismissed to reward their white counterparts. While television has been diversifying its casts, award shows are adapting much more slowly.

In 2021, #EmmysSoWhite started trending on X after white performers swept all 12 acting categories, even though the award show had set a record high for diverse nominations that year. 

On Sept. 14, the number of performers of colour nominated in lead and supporting categories has gone down, with Variety reporting a 39 per cent decline from last year. 

When it comes to diversity at the Emmys, every step forward is followed by five steps back towards its white status quo. People of colour have fought for fair recognition for decades, but we’re still at the point where only rewarding white performers is just par for the course. 

Unsurprisingly, this year #EmmysSoWhite has made its way back to the top of the trending page, with many taking their frustrations to social media.

“Can all this change? Is this the new normal? When will we not see nights like this anymore? Or, better yet, will there be a time when a night like this arises and it won’t sting as much because people of color feel we’re getting a fair and proper shake?” recently wrote one user on X.

The only way for actors of colour to get a fair and proper shake is to look behind the scenes at the Emmys and see who actually gets to vote.

The Emmy nominees and winners are decided by the over 28,000 members of the Television Academy. 

According to the 2026 Transparency Report, 67 per cent of Television Academy members are white. Black or African American members — the next highest number — come in at just over 9 per cent.

The lack of diversity isn’t just evident in the academy; it’s abhorrently clear in the voting and nominations. Every main cast member of The Pitt received a nomination, except for the three women of colour. 

This kind of disparity among voters has clear effects on the actual outcomes during award season, and it causes deeper issues.

There’s a reason the entertainment industry puts such an emphasis on being an Emmy Award winner.  It signifies to both audiences and network executives that these people have a talent worth sharing when thousands of professionals publicly celebrate them within their own industry

When these awards recognize the hard work and dedication of people of colour, it helps to ensure a diverse array of stories can continue to be told. 

The official Television Academy website says that it is “dedicated to honoring excellence in television while promoting creativity, diversity and empowering storytellers through recognition, education and leadership.”

This statement is far from our current reality. As long as their voter base is a strong white majority, we will continue to see it reflected in both the nominees and winners.

Something in this process needs to change, and it needs to happen long before the names are called on stage.