Emmys: Supporting Actress (Comedy) – Ayo Edebiri Climbs With Potential Vote Splitting Between ‘Abbott Elementary’ and ‘Ted Lasso’

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

More from Variety

• Emmys: Supporting Actress (Limited) - Claire Danes, Camila Morrone and Maria Bello Have Support, But Will it Be Enough?

• 'FBI: Most Wanted' Producer Explains How Massive Crash Scene Stunt Was Done in One Take - and Led to an Emmy Nom

• How 'Pretty Baby' Director Lana Wilson Tapped Into Brooke Shields' Story After Years of Exploitation

OSCARS | EMMYS | GRAMMYS | TONYS

2023 Emmy Predictions:
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Weekly Commentary (Updated Aug 19, 2023): A hot race ensues where nearly any of this year’s nominees for supporting comedy actress could theoretically win the prize.

Three former Emmy winners are in this category — Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”) and Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”). Waddingham will indeed have votes siphoned from her co-star Juno Temple, while Ralph could mimic the same with her counterpart Janelle James. That could allow young Ayo Edebiri to sneak up and take home her first statuette for FX’s “The Bear,” especially if the show is sweeping with directing, writing and lead actor for Jeremy Allen White.

Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Primetime Emmy predictions in the major categories.

Ralph’s win last year is a plus for her, especially with a killer episode selection. Borstein will likely get sentimental votes for the final season of her hit series.

There’s also a lot of support for Jessica Williams, who is phenomenal in Apple’s “Shrinking.” Still, the lower-than-expected nominations for the show won’t help her winning chances (even though she’s more than worthy).

The rankings for the category are below.

The final Emmy voting rounds open on Aug. 17 at 9 a.m. PT and close on Aug. 28 at 10 p.m. PST. The 75th Emmy Awards are scheduled to air on Monday, January 15, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT. The Creative Arts ceremony will occur on Saturday, January 6, and Sunday, January 7. An edited version will air on FXX on Saturday, January 13, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET. All events will take place at the Peacock Theater at LA Live.

Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Creative Arts predictions in all categories.

And the Nominees Are:

1. Hannah Waddingham — “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+)
   Episode submission: “International Break”

2. Janelle James — “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
   Episode submission: “Fundraiser”

3. Ayo Edebiri — “The Bear” (FX)
   Episode submission: “Review”

4. Sheryl Lee Ralph — “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
   Episode submission: “Fire”

5. Alex Borstein — “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Prime Video)
   Episode submission: “The Testi-Roastial”

6. Juno Temple — “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+)
   Episode submission: “We’ll Never Have Paris”

7. Jessica Williams — “Shrinking” (Apple TV+)
   Episode submission: “Boop”

All Eligible Titles (Alphabetized by Network)**

• Janelle James — “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)

• Sheryl Lee Ralph — “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)

• Lisa Ann Walter — “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)

• Laurie Metcalf — “The Conners” (ABC)

• Lauren Ash — “Not Dead Yet” (ABC)

• Mireille Enos — “Lucky Hank” (AMC)

• Vanessa Bauche — “Acapulco” (Apple TV+)

• Djouliet Amara — “The Big Door Prize” (Apple TV+)

• Elizabeth Hunter — “The Big Door Prize” (Apple TV+)

• Ally Maki — “The Big Door Prize” (Apple TV+)

• Gabrielle Dennis — “The Big Door Prize” (Apple TV+)

• Michaela Jay Rodriguez — “Loot” (Apple TV+)

• Dove Cameron — “Schmigadoon!” (Apple TV+)

• Kristen Chenoweth — “Schmigadoon!” (Apple TV+)

• Ariana DeBose — “Schmigadoon!” (Apple TV+)

• Jane Krakowski — “Schmigadoon!” (Apple TV+)

• Heidi Gardener — “Shrinking” (Apple TV+)

• Christa Miller — “Shrinking” (Apple TV+)

• Lukita Maxwell — “Shrinking” (Apple TV+)

• Lily Rabe — “Shrinking” (Apple TV+)

• Jessica Williams — “Shrinking” (Apple TV+)

• Juno Temple — “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+)

• Hannah Waddingham — “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+)

• Yvette Nicole Brown — “Act Your Age” (Bounce TV)

• Danielle Pinnock — “Ghosts” (CBS)

• Rebecca Wisocky — “Ghosts” (CBS)

• Tichina Arnold — “The Neighborhood” (CBS)

• Michelle Yeoh — “American Born Chinese” (Disney+)

• Susan Berger — “Jury Duty” (Freevee)

• Cassandra Blair — “Jury Duty” (Freevee)

• Shakira Barrera — “Sprung” (Freevee)

• Zazie Beetz — “Atlanta” (FX)

• Ayo Edebiri — “The Bear” (FX)

• Abby Elliott — “The Bear” (FX)

• Chloe Bennett — “Dave” (FX)

• Rachel Bloom — “Reboot” (FX)

• Paulina Alexis — “Reservation Dogs” (FX)

• D’Arcy Carden — “Barry” (HBO)

• Sarah Goldberg — “Barry” (HBO)

• Gabrielle Dennis — “A Black Lady Sketch Show” (HBO)

• Skye Townsend — “A Black Lady Sketch Show” (HBO)

• Yalitiza Aparicio — “Los Espookys” (HBO)

• Jonica Booth — “Rap Shit” (HBO)

• Molly Shannon — “The Other Two” (HBO)

• Belinda Bromilow — “The Great” (Hulu)

• Cara Delevingne — “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)

• Jayne Houdyshell — “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)

• Wanda Sykes — “History of the World Part II” (Hulu)

• Hiam Abbass — “Ramy” (Hulu)

• Chloe Fineman— “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

• Heidi Gardner— “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

• Punkie Johnson— “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

• Molly Kearney— “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

• Ego Nwodim— “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

• Sarah Sherman— “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

• Cecily Strong— “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

• Courtney Henggeler — “Cobra Kai” (Netflix)

• Mary Mouser — “Cobra Kai” (Netflix)

• Diana Maria Riva — “Dead to Me” (Netflix)

• Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu — “Emily in Paris” (Netflix)

• Ashley Park — “Emily in Paris” (Netflix)

• Camille Razat — “Emily in Paris” (Netflix)

• Farah Bsieso — “Mo” (Netflix)

• Teresa Ruiz — “Mo” (Netflix)

• Cocoa Brown — “Never Have I Ever” (Netflix)

• Poorna Jagannathan — “Never Have I Ever” (Netflix)

• Richa Moorjani — “Never Have I Ever” (Netflix)

• Lee Rodriguez — “Never Have I Ever” (Netflix)

• Megan Suri — “Never Have I Ever” (Netflix)

• Ramona Young — “Never Have I Ever” (Netflix)

• Andrea Anders — “That ’90s Show” (Netflix)

• Ashley Aufderheide — “That ’90s Show” (Netflix)

• Sian Clifford — “Unstable” (Netflix)

• Emma Ferreira — “Unstable” (Netflix)

• Rachel Marsh — “Unstable” (Netflix)

• Journey Christine — “The Upshaws” (Netflix)

• Gabrielle Dennis — “The Upshaws” (Netflix)

• Khali Spraggins — “The Upshaws” (Netflix)

• Wanda Sykes — “The Upshaws” (Netflix)

• Gwendoline Christie — “Wednesday” (Netflix)

• Riki Lindhome — “Wednesday” (Netflix)

• Christina Ricci — “Wednesday” (Netflix)

• Adriyan Rae — “The Game” (Paramount+)

• Analisa Velez — “The Game” (Paramount+)

• Shanel Bailey — “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” (Paramount+)

• Edie Falco — “Bupkis” (Peacock)

• Lera Abova — “Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin” (Peacock)

• Nina Bloomgarden — “The Resort” (Peacock)

• Grace Byers — “Harlem” (Prime Video)

• Jerrie Johnson — “Harlem” (Prime Video)

• Shoniqua Shandai — “Harlem” (Prime Video)

• D’Arcy Carden — “A League of Their Own” (Prime Video)

• Sally Hawkins — “Mammals” (Prime Video)

• Caroline Aaron — “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Prime Video)

• Alex Borstein — “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Prime Video)

• Marin Hinkle — “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Prime Video)

• Caroline Aaron — “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Prime Video)

• Jaylen Barron — “Blindspotting” Starz)

• Jennifer Garner — “Party Down” (Starz)

• Jane Lynch — “Party Down” (Starz)

• Megan Mullally — “Party Down” (Starz)

• Elizabeth Bowen — “Resident Alien” (Syfy)

** This list or category submission is not yet complete or confirmed and is subject to change.

2022 category winner: Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard — “Abbott Elementary” (ABC) — Season 1

Emmy Awards Predictions Categories

DRAMA SERIES | COMEDY SERIES | LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES | TV MOVIE | LEAD ACTOR (DRAMA) | LEAD ACTOR (COMEDY) | LEAD ACTOR (LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | LEAD ACTRESS (DRAMA) | LEAD ACTRESS (COMEDY) | LEAD ACTRESS (LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | SUPPORTING ACTOR (DRAMA) | SUPPORTING ACTOR (COMEDY) | SUPPORTING ACTOR (LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | SUPPORTING ACTRESS (DRAMA) | SUPPORTING ACTRESS (COMEDY) | SUPPORTING ACTRESS (LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | TALK SERIES | SCRIPTED VARIETY | GAME SHOW | DIRECTING (DRAMA, COMEDY, LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | WRITING (DRAMA, COMEDY, LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | REALITY (COMPETITION, STRUCTURED, UNSTRUCTURED, HOST)

Creative Arts and Other Emmy Categories

GUEST ACTOR (DRAMA) | GUEST ACTRESS (DRAMA) | GUEST ACTOR (COMEDY) | GUEST ACTRESS (COMEDY) | VOICE-OVER | SHORT FORM | DOCUMENTARY | MUSIC | ANIMATED | OTHER CATEGORIES

About the Primetime Emmy Awards

The Primetime Emmy Awards, better known as the Emmys, are given out by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Since 1949, the awards have recognized excellence in American primetime television programming. They are divided into three classes – Primetime Emmy Awards, the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards (honors artisan achievements), and the Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards (recognizes significant engineering and technological contributions). The typical eligibility period is between June 1 and May 31 of any given year. The Television Academy comprises over 25,000 members, representing 30 professional peer groups, including performers, directors, producers, art directors, artisans, and executives.

Best of Variety

• Emmys: Supporting Actress (Limited) - Claire Danes, Camila Morrone and Maria Bello Have Support, But Will it Be Enough?

• Emmy Voting Still Underway, Several Races Too Close to Call

• Emmys: Lead Actor (Comedy) – Jason Sudeikis and Jeremy Allen White Have Never Lost a Televised Awards Ceremony, and Now, They Finally Face Off

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.