Accepting her second consecutive Emmy Award for direction, “Transparent” creator Jill Soloway spoke Sunday night of the transformative power of inclusive storytelling.
“When you take people of color, women, trans people, queer people, as the subjects of stories, you change the world,” she said before triumphantly hoisting her Emmy into the air and exclaiming, “Topple the patriarchy!”
It was a fitting moment on a night that celebrated shows about race and gender identity and that honored artists who reflected the diversity of the American population. If the patriarchy wasn’t exactly collapsing on Sunday night, it certainly looked a little shaky.
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D.B. Weiss at the microphone and David Benioff, at left of Weiss, accept the Emmy for Drama Series for “Game of Thrones” with the cast and crew.
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The cast and crew of “Veep” celebrate their win for comedy series
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Ryan Murphy, left, and John Travolta accept the award for limited series for “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
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Tatiana Maslany accepts the award for lead actress in a drama series for “Orphan Black.”
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Rami Malek accepts the award for lead actor in a drama series for “Mr. Robot.” (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times )
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The ‘In memoriam’ sequence shows Gary Marshall during the show at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards.
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Henry Winkler honors “Happy Days” creator Garry Marshall.
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Tori Kelly performs “Hallelujah” during an In Memoriam tribute at the Emmy Awards.
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“Fresh off the Boat” stars Randall Park and Constance Wu.
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“Empire” star Taraji P. Henson
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Host Jimmy Kimmel walks away with Maggie Smith’s Emmy, which had been announced by “Speechless” star Minnie Driver and “NCIS” star Michael Weatherly.
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“Mr. Robot” star Rami Malek and “Suits” star Abigail Spencer.
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Julia Louis-Dreyfus
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Jeffrey Tambor accepts the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in “Transparent.”
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Directors Thomas Kail, left, and Alex Rudzinski accept the award for directing for a variety special for “Grease: Live.”
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“Orange Is the New Black” star Laverne Cox.
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Patton Oswalt accepts the award for writing for a variety special for “Patton Oswalt: Talking for Clapping.”
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Jimmy Kimmel hands out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made by his mother during the show.
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“Braindead” star Margo Martindale and “The Simpsons” star Hank Azaria.
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Tim Carvell, left, and John Oliver accept the award for outstanding variety talk series for “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.”
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David Benioff, left, and D.B. Weiss accept the award for writing for a drama series for “Game of Thrones.”
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Matt Damon, left, and Jimmy Kimmel.
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“Downton Abbey” star Michelle Dockery and “Bloodline” star Kyle Chandler.
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“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” creator Tina Fey, left, and “Maya and Marty” star Amy Poehler.
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Courtney B. Vance accepts the award for lead actor in a limited series or movie for “The People vs. O.J. Simpson.”
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Leslie Jones, right, on stage with Ernst & Young employees.
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Sarah Paulson accepts the award for lead actress in a limited series or movie for “The People v. O.J. Simpson. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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“Homeland” star Claire Danes and “All the Way” star Bryan Cranston.
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“Superstore” star America Ferrera and “This Is Us” star Mandy Moore.
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“American Crime” actress Regina King celebrates her win for supporting actress in a limited series or movie.
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“American Crime” actress Regina King celebrates her win for supporting actress in a limited series or movie.
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“Quantico” star Priyanka Chopra and “The Night Manager” star Tom Hiddleston.
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Susanne Bier wins directing for a limited series, movie or special for “The Night Manager.”
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Producer Mark Burnett, center, and the production team for “The Voice” accept the award for reality competition program.
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“Stranger Things” actor Gaten Matarazzo passes out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the audience during the Emmy Awards.
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Jill Soloway accepts the award for directing in a comedy series for her work on “Transparent.”
Soloway was one of two women awarded for their directing. The other was Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier, who helmed all six episodes of AMC’s sumptuous spy thriller “The Night Manager.”
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It’s the second year in a row in which two female directors were victorious in the same categories at the Emmys. In 2015, Soloway won for “Transparent,” while Lisa Cholodenko — like Bier, a feature filmmaker who migrated to TV — was honored for her work on the HBO miniseries “Olive Kitteridge.” By contrast, only a single woman, Kathryn Bigelow, has ever won an Academy Award for directing (“The Hurt Locker” in 2010).
In a show of the enormous strides made by the transgender movement in just a few years, Soloway’s lead actor, Jeffrey Tambor, made news by calling for an end to the casting of cisgender, or non-transgender, actors like himself in transgender roles.
“Please give transgender talent a chance. Give them auditions. Give them their story,” said Tambor, whose portrayal of a Maura Pfefferman, a transgender woman who comes out later in life, has won widespread acclaim but has also sparked criticism from some trans activists. “I would be happy if I were the last cisgender male to play a transgender female.”
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The declaration was noteworthy, given the growing controversy over the casting of cisgender actors — including, most recently, Matt Bomer — in transgender roles. Tambor’s plea was echoed later in the evening by Laverne Cox, the first openly transgender actress to receive an Emmy nomination.
Several other speeches drove home the importance of representation in pop culture. Surprise winner Tatiana Maslany, who plays enough different characters on “Orphan Black” to employ a dozen or so actresses, said she was “so lucky to be on a show that puts women at the center.”
Another surprise winner, Kate McKinnon, became the first “SNL” cast member to win an Emmy in the supporting actor or actress category and also happens to be the first openly lesbian cast member on the show. In her tearful, funny acceptance speech, McKinnon twice thanked Hillary Clinton, whom she impersonates on the show.
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Louie Anderson gets ready to enter the Microsoft Theater. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Tituss Burgess (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Jamie Brewer (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Ariel Winter (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Eric Stonestreet takes a selfie with fans.
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Sterling K. Brown and Ryan Michelle Bathe. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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John Singleton (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Emily Robinson (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Jeremy Maguire (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Nolan Gould (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Gaten Matarazzo, Millie Bobby Brown and Caleb McLaughlin. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Keegan-Michael Key and Elisa Pugliese (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Jenifer Lewis (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Regina King and Trevor Jackson (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Holly Taylor (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Emily Ratajkowski (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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(L-R) Kelly Preston, John Travolta and Rami Malek.
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Sarah Paulson (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Courtney B. Vance (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Heidi Klum and Padma Lakshmi
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Yara Shahidi (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Viola Davis gives a wave. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times )
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William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman are all smiles.
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Jon Voight and Miles Brown of “black-ish” pose for a photo.
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Bryan Cranston signs an autograph.
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Sofia Vergara walks the red carpet.
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Aziz Ansari flashes a smile.
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Priyanka Chopra glides in a flowing gown.
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Emilia Clarke makes her way onto the red carpet.
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Angela Bassett arrives in a bright gown.
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Michelle Dockery hits the red carpet.
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Mark Burnett and Roma Downey mug for the camera.
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Laurence Fishburne makes an entrance.
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Hank Azaria sports the white-tie-on-white-shirt look.
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One of the night’s most cathartic moments came courtesy of McKinnon’s “SNL” castmate (and Olympics superfan) Leslie Jones, who has been subjected to racist and sexist harassment online following her appearance in the all-female “Ghostbusters” remake. She appeared along with some accountants from Ernst & Young and joked that rather thank keeping the Emmy winners a secret, they should be protecting her Twitter account.
She not only enlivened this customary but typically boring part of the telecast but also found a platform to fire back at Internet trolls.
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“Y’all over here using your skills to protect best voiceover in a French sitcom. Meanwhile, I’m butt-naked on CNN. I just wanted to feel beautiful, y’all. Can a sister feel beautiful?” she asked, prompting a chorus of approval from the audience at Microsoft Theater.
Similarly, Sarah Paulson’s all but inevitable victory for lead actress in a limited series or movie became a moment of redemption for the once-vilified Marcia Clark in FX’s “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.” Paulson’s highly sympathetic portrayal reimagined Clark not as “the cardboard cutout” depicted in the news, the actress said in her acceptance speech, but as a “complicated, whip-smart, giant-hearted mother of two” committed to righting a terrible injustice.
Paulson, who brought Clark as her guest to the Emmys, ended her speech with an apology to the former prosecutor for Paulson’s “superficial” judgment and the brutally sexist criticism Clark endured during the height of the Simpson trial.
Still, the TV academy should probably refrain from patting itself on the back just yet.
All of the writing awards handed out on Sunday went to men, though, in an ironic twist, D.V. DeVincentis won for writing “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia,” the episode of “The People v. O.J. Simpson” that showed how Clark’s appearance and personal life were subject to intense scrutiny.
Although Samantha Bee made a big impression with the debut of her topical series “Full Frontal,” the variety talk show category remained an all-white boys’ club. As host (and losing nominee) Kimmel pointed out, that’s sort of the opposite of “variety.”
Meredith Blake is an entertainment reporter for the Los Angeles Times based out of New York City, where she primarily covers television. A native of Bethlehem, Pa., she graduated from Georgetown University and holds a master’s degree from New York University.
