‘Game of Thrones,’ Billy Porter and more had a historic night at the 71st Primetime Emmys.
The 71st Primetime Emmys had no shortage of surprises and emotional moments when the awards were handed out live on Fox at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles Sunday night. As expected, Game of Thrones dominated the competition in its final year of competition.
In July, when the nominations were first announced, the HBO drama led all the shows with the most nominations, breaking its own record as the most-nominated drama of all time. Then there was freshman series and fan-favorite, Pose, which broke ground for transgender representation at the ceremony and found itself vying in top categories alongside more established dramas like Better Call Saul, Ozark and This Is Us. (Check out all the historic and milestone nominations here.)
Between the Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy ceremonies, which were handed out the weekend prior, there were also several historic and notable wins that will make 2019 a memorable one for years to come.
‘Game of Thrones’ Sets New Record for Most Emmy Wins for a Final Season
Coming into its final year of competition at the Emmys, Game of Thrones was nominated for 32 awards, setting a new record for the most nominations for a program in a single year. And the series made a big showing with the Television Academy, winning a total of 12 Emmys and tying its previous from 2016. The series also extended its record for the most wins for a drama series with 59 Emmys while also setting a new record for the most Emmy wins for a final season of a drama series. (Previously Breaking Bad had the record with nine wins split across two ceremonies.)
Billy Porter Is the First Out, Black Man to Win an Outstanding Lead Actor Emmy
After becoming the first and only gay, black man nominated in a leading acting category, Billy Porter made history by also winning an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for playing emcee Pray Tell on Pose. This is also the first nomination and win for the 50-year-old actor, who had a breakout year thanks to the FX series.
Peter Dinklage Sets a New Record in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Category
Peter Dinklage, who holds the record for the most nominations in the category with eight, broke a four-way tie he had with Art Carney, Don Knotts and Aaron Paul by taking home his fourth Emmy in the category. He is also the only actor to win among any of the Game of Thrones performers.
Jharrel Jerome Is the First Latinx Person to Win an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Emmy
The breakout star of When They See Us took home the Emmy for his portrayal of Korey Wise, becoming the first Afro-Latinx actor to win the category. He won over fellow Latinx actor Benicio del Toro, who was up for his role in Escape at Dannemora. At 21-years-old, Jerome is one of the youngest actors to win in the category, beating out several and notably older veteran actors this year.
RuPaul Ties With Jeff Probst for Most Emmy Wins for Hosting
RuPaul, who has previously won three consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program for RuPaul’s Drag Race, picked up his fourth win in the category at the Creative Arts ceremony. He’s now tied with Jeff Probst, who also has four for Survivor, for the most hosting wins. RuPaul’s wins for hosting and Outstanding Competition Program makes him the second most awarded African-American person in Emmy history with six awards, putting him just behind Hayma Washington, who has seven total wins.
Bradley Whitford Is the First Person to Win the Outstanding Guest Acting Categories in Both Genres
After earning an Emmy for his role as Josh Lyman on The West Wing, the actor has become a reliable supporting player on several series since, including Transparent and The Handmaid’s Tale, both of which earned him nominations and wins for Outstanding Guest Actor. After winning for the Hulu drama at the Creative Arts ceremony, he became the first person to win the category for both comedy and drama.
Norman Lear Is the Oldest Emmy Winner Ever
Norman Lear, the prolific TV producer behind such classics as All in the Family and The Jeffersons, won an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) at the Creative Arts ceremony. The win, for Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons, makes Lear the oldest Emmy winner ever at 97 years old.
Anthony Bourdain Wins Two Posthumous Emmys for ‘Parts Unknown’
Anthony Bourdain, who died unexpectedly in June 2018, won two Emmys for Outstanding Informational Series or Special and Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program. The late chef and food personality now has four posthumous wins after picking up two in 2018. He now has a total of eight Emmys.
‘One Day at a Time’ Wins an Emmy After Being Canceled by Netflix
The Netflix revival of Norman Lear’s beloved sitcom won the Emmy for Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series at the Creative Arts ceremony despite being unexpectedly canceled by the streaming network earlier this year. The win is the only Emmy for the revival while the series took home two during its original run. (The series has since been revived by Pop TV.)
Check out the full list of 2019 Primetime Emmy winners here.
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