Queue toasts the 75th annual Emmy winners — including DAHMER - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story's Niecy Nash-Betts and BEEF's Lee Sung Jin, Ali Wong, and Steven Yeun — with a roundup of some of the night's best speeches.
The 75th annual Emmy Awards brought all the red carpet glamour we love, along with triumphant wins for some of the most-talked-about shows and series of the year: BEEF, DAHMER - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Wednesday, and Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, to name just a few. Netflix took home a total of 22 Emmys this year, including 6 Primetime Emmys and Ali Wong’s historic win, as the first woman of Asian descent to win an Emmy in a lead actress category.
When the moment arrived to accept those iconic statuettes, the sensational actors, writers, and directors who took the stage inspired and captivated us, even bringing us to tears. From DAHMER performer Niecy Nash-Betts’s exhilarating win for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie to BEEF creator Lee Sung Jin’s uplifting (and humorous) message to viewers, here are a few of the most memorable quotes from the winners’ superb speeches.
Niecy Nash-Betts
Photograph by Kevin Winter / Getty Images
Nash-Betts accepted her Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her portrayal of Glenda Cleveland in DAHMER - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story with a rousing speech that showed gratitude to those who helped along the way, and more importantly — to herself.
“I’m a winner, baby! Thank you to the Most High for this divine moment. Thank you Ryan Murphy for seeing me. Evan Peters, I love you. Netflix. Every single person who voted for me, thank you. My better half who picked me up when I was gutted from this work, thank you. And you know who I want to thank? I want to thank me — for believing in me and doing what they said I could not do. And I want to say to myself in front of all these beautiful people, ‘Go on girl with your bad self. You did that.’
“Finally, I accept this award on behalf of every Black and brown woman who has gone unheard yet overpoliced. Like Glenda Cleveland. Like Sandra Bland. Like Breonna Taylor. As an artist, my job is to speak truth to power, and baby, I’ma do it till the day I die. Mama, I won!”
Ali Wong
Photograph by Monica Schipper / WireImage / Getty Images
In her acceptance speech for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for the role of Amy Lau, Wong kept it family first, honoring her inspirations from past and present.
“I wouldn’t be standing here without my parents, my amazing parents, my father who I so wish was alive to share this moment with me. My hilarious father, who loved me unconditionally and taught me the value of failure. To my beautiful daughters: You are my everything. Thank you for inspiring me, and this is for you.”
Lee Sung Jin
Photograph by Monica Schipper / WireImage / Getty Images
Lee, who accepted three awards on behalf of the show — Outstanding Directing, Outstanding Writing, and Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series — had a few turns at the podium. His speeches ranged from the comedic to the deeply heartfelt, hitting the same notes that resonated in the series.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
“When I first moved to L.A., my bank account went into the negative by 63 cents, so I had to deposit a dollar bill into my account to avoid the overdraft fee. And the A.T.M. screen said, ‘Are you sure you want to deposit one dollar?’ And I was like, ‘No.’ I wasn’t sure of anything back then, and I certainly wasn’t sure of holding something like this.”
OUTSTANDING LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES
“You know a lot of the suicidal ideation in this show was based on stuff that I and some of the folks up here have struggled with over the years, and so I’m really grateful and humbled by everyone who watched the show and reached out about their own personal struggles. It’s very life-affirming, so thank you. I feel like we live in a world designed to kind of keep us separate. You know, even here, some of us go home with trophies other people don’t. And I think for some of us, when we live in a world like this, you begin to think that there’s no way anyone could ever understand you, or like you, much less even, you know, no potential at being loved. The greatest joy of working on BEEF has truly been working with the folks up here who love so unconditionally.”
Steven Yeun
Photograph by Kevin Winter / Getty Images
In his acceptance for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Yeun hearkened back to his pathos-filled performance and the emotional journey of playing Danny Cho.
“There were days when it was difficult to live in Danny’s skin. Sometimes I wanted to judge him. Sometimes I wanted to make fun of him. I want to say thank you to Danny for teaching me that judging and shaming is a lonely place, but compassion is a place where we can all meet.”
The After-Party
Check out pictures from the Netflix after-party, where stars celebrated the historic wins.
Niecy Nash-Betts and Evan Peters
Photograph by Natasha Campos
Pedro Pascal and Natasha Lyonne
Photograph by Natasha Campos
Jenna Ortega and Joy Sunday
Photograph by Natasha Campos
Joan Collins
Photograph by Natasha Campos
Steven Yeun and Ali Wong
Photograph by Emma McIntyre
