From Jodie Foster to The Daily Show, these LGBTQIA stars took home trophies at this year’s celebration
BY YASMIN VINCE, IMAGES BY NETFLIX AND HBO MAX
The Emmys are the biggest night in television. Stars of the small screen gathered in Los Angeles to find out who would be recognised for their performance. Was The Bear going to sweep the comedy awards again? Who would win the drama awards now that Succession is over?
From the red carpet to acceptance speeches, LGBTQIA actors, writers and directors stole the show. In total, five Emmys and one Governor’s Award were taken home by queer people.
Here is a complete list of all the queer wins at the 2024 Emmys:
Jodie Foster, Best Actress in a Limited Series
Foster, a lesbian actor, won her award for her role as Liz Danvers, a detective investigating the disappearance of eight men from an Alaskan research station in True Detective: Night Country.
She is only the second out lesbian to win an award for Best Actress in a Limited Series, the first being Sarah Paulson for playing Marcia Clark in The People Vs O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
As she walked up to the stage, Foster kissed her wife, Alexandra Hedison. Her acceptance speech included thanks to the Icelandic crew who worked on the show, the Indigenous population of Alaska and Hedison, who she called the “love of her life”.
Jessica Gunning, Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series
Anyone who watched Baby Reindeer will remember the phenomenal performance from Jessica Gunning. The queer actor played Martha, a woman who obsessively stalks the main character. She took home the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, beating out several other queer actors, including her co-star, Nava Mau and Oscar nominee, Lily Gladstone.
Like Foster, Gunning is the second out queer performer to win this particular award. Niecy Nash-Betts won last year for Dahmer. Eva Le Gallienne also won in this category in 1978, but at the time, she wasn’t out.
Hacks, Best Comedy
This beautifully queer show, about the friendship between an ageing comedian and a young, unemployed comedy writer, took home the award for Best Comedy.
The show unpacked queer storylines via Ava Daniels, a bisexual comedian, played by bi actor Hannah Einbinder. The second season has been described as “gayer than ever” thanks to a deeper exploration of Daniels’ sexuality.
The Daily Show, Outstanding Talk Series
Late night talk show, The Daily Show, won Outstanding Talk Series, which means their “senior lesbian correspondent”, Grace Kuhlenschmidt took home an award as one of their writers.
The comedian first came to fame via TikTok, where she made cracks about her sexuality and social media influencers. She soon earned herself a writing position on The Daily Show and is now referred to as their “senior lesbian correspondent”. In June, she told Vogue: “If there’s literally one kid who watches The Daily Show and seeing a lesbian helps them, then that is more than I could dream for.”
The Traitors US, Best Reality Series
Okay, technically The Traitors is not a queer show. But, Alan Cumming gave the acceptance speech on behalf of the show and was integral to its success, so we think it counts.
Cumming wore a military-esque pin on his suit jacket, with the trans pride flag in place of a ribbon.
Greg Berlanti, Governor’s Award
The multi-faceted screenwriter, producer and director was given this year’s Governor’s Award, which recognises individuals or organisations that have made a profound contribution to the industry.
Berlanti was recognised for his role in advancing LGBTQIA visibility in television via series such as Supergirl and DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow.
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