Billy Porter, Laverne Cox, Kate McKinnon, and more!
Harron WalkerThe Emmy nominations are here, and Game of Thrones, predictably, got a whole bunch of nominations. (Thirty-two, to be exact, which Varietysays is the most ever for a single series in a single year.) But the G in LGBTQ+ doesn’t stand for Game of Thrones, so let’s stop talking about the work of occasionally good heterosexual art and start talking about what really matters here: the queer nominees.
First off, let’s give it up for Billy Porter! The Tony-winning actor is up for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Pray Tell on Pose. He’s the only actor from FX’s ballroom drama to receive a nomination (Mj Rodriguez and Indya Moore’s respective fan armies would like a word), but Pose did manage to get nominated in six different categories, including Outstanding Drama Series.
Porter isn’t the only LGBTQ+ talent up for something at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, which will air live from Los Angeles on Sept. 22. Previous Emmy winner Kate McKinnon is nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Saturday Night Live, and Ben Whishaw is up for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his role in A Very English Scandal.
Laverne Cox— who became the first openly trans person to ever receive an Emmy nomination back in 2014 — might take home Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Orange Is the New Black, unless Cherry Jones of The Handmaid’s Tale manages to win it instead.
Elsewhere among the nominees, Jane Lynch is nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Ellen DeGeneres and RuPaul will go head to head in the Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program category for their work on Ellen’s Game of Games, and RuPaul’s Drag Race, respectively.
Speaking of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the drag pageant is up for nine awards, including Outstanding Competition Program. Even RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked got nominated in the Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program category! Gay rights!!(??)
Other TV shows with [“Queer Content” voice] Queer Content that got nominations include Killing Eve, Russian Doll, Schitt’s Creek, How to Get Away with Murder, GLOW, American Horror Story: Apocalypse, Queer Eye, RENT: Live, Wanda Sykes: Not Normal, and Hannah Gadsby: Nanette. The shortform categories also has some good offerings with Ryan O’Connell’s Special nominated for Outstanding Shortform Comedy or Drama Series and Billy Eichner’s Billy on the Street up for Outstanding Shortform Variety Series.
We look not-forward to seeing all of them lose every category to Game of Thrones.
RELATED | Pose Just Got Nominated for Six Emmys
00