Between June 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025, television had a wide-open field to show us something fresh, bold and inclusive. In response, the 2025 Emmy nominations delivered the same old studio lot tour. There were a few crowd pleasing reruns but also some tired white ensembles. In television, there was still a sprinkle of meaningful representation in comedy but also a whole lot of what-the-hell when it came to snubs.
To clarify up front, Reservation Dogs was not eligible this year. The final season dropped in September 2023 which placed it in last cycle’s bracket. Despite that, it still stings. One of the greatest series of our time walked away from the 2024 Emmys with zero wins. That wound is fresh and still bleeding in the Indigenous community and this author is bitter af.
In this piece, we’re not mourning Reservation Dogs again. Instead, we are naming what was eligible and still somehow left behind.
Where Comedy Carried the Torch
Within comedy, the wins for representation showed up strongest. Quinta Brunson and Ayo Edebiri continued their hot streaks with nominations for Abbott Elementary and The Bear, which we still struggle to find any of the humor in this dramatic show. Liza Colón-Zayas, Janelle James, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Jessica Williams filled out the supporting categories with actual diversity and presence. Colman Domingo brought in queer joy and range.
Bowen Yang, meanwhile, made Emmy history. With this nomination, he became the most nominated Asian male performer in Emmy history.
This is his fourth acting nomination for Saturday Night Live and fifth overall, including his 2019 nomination for writing.
In 2021, he became the first SNL featured player ever nominated for acting. Despite his groundbreaking run, he has yet to win.
According to the industry, this is progress. In practice, it remains relegated to the margins where less than one in four acting nominations went to performers of color or queer talent.
Drama Still Doesn’t Get It and it shows in the 2025 emmy nominations
Across the drama nominations, Pedro Pascal earned recognition for The Last of Us and we couldn’t be happier for that as we love everything he does, even if he’s always killed off in the worst freaking ways. Sterling K. Brown showed up strong for Paradise and that was such the sleeper show for 2024 and we love him in it, especially as representation of a “single father” fighting for his family and for his sanity. Tramell Tillman broke through for Severance and Natasha Rothwell finally received long-overdue attention for White Lotus. That is where the praise ends.
The drama category remains stacked with white leads and even whiter ensembles. The White Lotus pulled four supporting nominations and Natasha Rothwell was the only performer of color recognized. Among all drama acting nominees this year, more than 80 percent were white. That pattern is not a coincidence. It is a habit baked into the system.
When Native Excellence Is Invisible by Design
Under the Bridge aired in April 2024. It qualified. It was harrowing. It was deeply human. Lily Gladstone gave a performance that deserved recognition across the board. In return, the Television Academy gave silence.
After making history as the first Native American woman nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars earlier this year, she should have seen that momentum carry into the Emmys. Instead, the industry’s selective memory kicked in to remind us that .
This is what erasure looks like.
Lawmen: Bass Reeves deserved better. David Oyelowo carried that series with historical weight and emotional depth. He is an omoba of the Yoruba people, part of the Nigerian chieftaincy system, with ancestral ties to Oyo State. He has joked that royalty in Nigeria is more common than most Westerners realize, comparing it to being “the Prince of Islington.”
Despite the richness of that heritage and his consistently strong work, the Academy left him off the list. David Oyelowo carried that series with historical weight and emotional depth. It premiered in late 2023 and landed well within the eligibility period. It never cracked the list.
Asian and MENA/SWANA Stories Still Treated Like Afterthoughts
The Sympathizer aired during the eligibility window with a Vietnamese-led cast, razor-sharp writing and layered political storytelling. It was bold. It was fresh. It was entirely ignored. Hoa Xuande’s performance held weight and nuance, yet his name didn’t appear anywhere on the nomination list.
Deli Boys also aired within eligibility. It brought something new to the table with its South Asian American perspective and unflinching tone. The show didn’t play into model minority tropes or one-note storytelling. It simply told a complicated, funny, deeply specific story about identity and survival. None of that was enough for the Television Academy.
From the broader MENA and SWANA communities, the absence was even louder. No performers of Middle Eastern or North African descent were recognized across major acting categories. No shows led by these communities were nominated. In a time when global storytelling is more accessible than ever, Hollywood continues to treat these voices like an afterthought. Including, Hollywoodland News favorite and fighter for MENA representation, Azita Ghanizada, on Suits L.A.
In a moment when the industry claims to value inclusion, these stories once again got boxed out.
2025 emmy nominations:
Representation That Only Goes So Far
Black performers received some of the year’s strongest nominations in comedy, with Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri, Colman Domingo, and others carrying entire shows on their backs.
But that momentum stopped cold in the drama categories. Outside of Sterling K. Brown and Natasha Rothwell, Black representation all but vanished. No Black actresses appeared in lead roles. None were seen in limited series.
Latinx talent barely made an appearance in this year’s nominations. Pedro Pascal was recognized for The Last of Us.
Liza Colón-Zayas received a well-earned nod for her work in The Bear (she’s our favorite character). Beyond that, nothing. Not one Latinx performer appeared in a limited series category. No major nominations recognized Latinx-led shows or supporting roles outside those two names.
Considering the scale of Latinx talent working in television, from Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, to breakout performances in genre, comedy and indie streaming titles, this absence was not for lack of eligible options. It was a choice. It’s a pattern that continues year after year.
What Inclusion Should Look Like
Only 21% of acting nominees across drama, comedy, and limited series were BIPOC or LGBTQIA+.
- 1 Native actress was eligible for a lead role. She was ignored.
- 0 Latinx performers were nominated in limited or lead actress roles.
- 0 MENA/SWANA performers were nominated in any major category.
- 2 Latinx names appeared across all major acting categories.
- 1 Black woman was recognized in drama. Not one in limited series.
- 0 Southeast Asian or South Asian actors received acting nominations.
The Emmys can’t claim progress while erasing the majority of global talent.
Representation is not a trend.
It is a necessity.
What thge 2025 emmy nominations Really reveal
In place of real progress, the Academy continues to hand out crumbs and expect applause. For every Quinta, Pedro and Natasha who made it through, there was a Lily, David or Hoa Xuande left out. Comedy remains the only category where meaningful representation shows signs of life.
Across the rest of the board, performers of color, queer talent and Indigenous artists remain boxed out. Within this year’s nominations, the problem was not oversight. The problem was systemic denial.
From this view, progress looks like a brand campaign. It does not look like change.
The 2025 Emmy Awards will take place September 14, 2025. Comedian Nate Bargatze is hosting on CBS.
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