The Emmys Intro Called Out Hollywood for Thinking It 'Solved' Diversity Issues
The nominees for the 2018 Emmys are more diverse than ever, with shows like Atlanta, Insecure, and The Handmaid's Tale racking up multiple categories. Sandra Oh is the first Asian woman to be nominated for a lead actress award for Killing Eve (which you absolutely should check out if you haven't already). That being said, the industry still has a long way to go. While the nominations this year show we're heading in a better direction, Hollywood is still by and large dominated by white men, both in front of and behind the camera. It's important not to lose sight of that.
Don't worry, though: Kristen Bell, Keenan Thompson, Kate McKinnon, Ricky Martin, Sterling K. Brown, and Tituss Burgess are here to make sure showbiz titans don't pat themselves on the back too hard. These performers and more appeared in a musical intro at the beginning of tonight's show that relayed an important message: Just because we've made progress in one or two areas doesn't mean diversity is "fixed."
Watch the first 30 seconds of the performance for yourself, below:
One of the highlights of the musical number was when RuPaul came onstage to hammer home the fact that a few LGBTQ+ people or actors of color appearing on hit TV shows isn't the cure for Hollywood's diversity problem.
Other memorable moments included when Thompson and McKinnon gave a hat tip to Sandra Oh's historic nomination and Oh just said, “It’s an honor just to be Asian,” in response. And at one point, Andy Samberg descended from the stage and asked if there was room for a straight white man in this song—and I think you can deduce how that (hilariously) panned out.
For more of our Emmys coverage, click here.
Related Stories:
The Best Celebrity Looks From the Emmys 2018 Parties
