More Straight Actors Got SAG Noms For Playing Gay Than Queer Actors

Still, some of our LGBTQ+ favs were nominated!

The nominees for this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards were just announced, and while some of our gay faves managed to snag some noms this season, many more were, unfortunately, snubbed.

Lady Gaga is the standout when it comes to LGBTQ+ performers nominated, as she got a spot in a crowded Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role category for playing Patrizia Regianni in House of Gucci. Joining her are Golden Globe winner Ariana DeBose, for playing Anita in West Side Story, and Looking alum Murray Bartlett, who scored a nomination for his role in The White Lotus in the Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series category.

This year, there are actually more straight actors nominated for playing queer characters than there are out actors nominated for playing any characters. The Power of the Dog leads this category, with both Benedict Cumberbatch and Kodi Smit-McPhee getting noms for playing gay characters in the western. But there are also some examples in the TV nominations.

For television performances, Reese Witherspoon was nominated for playing a bisexual journalist in The Morning Show, and Ewan McGregor hopes to add a SAG award to his trophy case after winning the Emmy for his portrayal of gay fashion designer Halston in the series named after him. 

Of course, the biggest snub, queer or not, by far is Kristen Stewart, who gave one of the most arresting performances in any movie in the past decade as the troubled Princess Diana in Spencer. She’s already the Oscar frontrunner, so seeing her name not on this list was quite a shock.

But there are also plenty of other talented out actors who gave award-worthy performances this year who are missing from the nominations. Where is Robin DeJesus from Tick, Tick.. Boom!? Where is Tessa Thompson from Passing?

In the TV categories, why was Elizabeth Moss nominated for The Handmaid’s Tale, but Samira Wiley wasn’t? And although Hacks got several noms, we would’ve loved to see individual nominations for Hannah Einbinder and Carl Clemens-Hopkins.

And speaking of snubs, where are Michaela Jaé Rodriguez and Billy Porter? They gave the best performances of their careers in the third and final season of Pose. Rodriguez even broke new ground when she became the first out trans woman to win a Golden Globe when she won earlier this year.

It’s a strange year overall for award shows, and this is another example of that. We’ll find out if any of our LGBTQ+ nominees win when the SAG Awards air live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, February 27 at 8pm ET.

RELATED | Ariana DeBose Says 'Still Work to Be Done' After Golden Globes Win

More Straight Actors Got SAG Noms For Playing Gay Than Queer Actors