July 17, 2025
Actors of color received their lowest number of main category Emmy nominations since 2019.
The 2025 Emmy nominations have been announced, and they include some historic diversity milestones. Yet, the overall number of nominations for actors of color is the lowest it’s been in the past five years.
Of the 94 actors nominated in the main acting categories (lead, supporting, and guest), only 24 are people of color, making it the lowest representation since 2019, Variety reported. This year’s numbers reflect a drop from 2024, when 30 actors of color received main nominations, and slightly below the 25 nominated in 2023. It’s a significant decline from the Emmys’ most diverse year, when 42 of 108 nominees were people of color.
However, history is still being made for the diversity present in this year’s nominees. Abbott Elementary creator, executive producer, and star Quinta Brunson continues to make Emmy history with her fourth acting nomination, making her the third most-nominated Black woman in the Lead Comedy Actress category, behind Isabel Sanford (The Jeffersons) and tied with Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish). She shares this year’s Lead Comedy Actress category with Uzo Aduba (The Residence) and Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), marking the second year in a row that multiple Black women are nominated in the category.
At 29, Ayo Edebiri is making history as the youngest Black woman to earn three Emmy acting nominations. She’s also nominated for directing the episode “Napkins,” making her the first Black woman to be recognized for both acting and directing in the comedy categories in the same year. The Boston native and NYU alum is only the second Black woman to be nominated for comedy directing, following Millicent Shelton’s 2009 nod for 30 Rock.
Sterling K. Brown’s Lead Drama Actor nomination for Hulu’s Paradise marks the seventh different series for which he’s been recognized. This ties him with Don Cheadle for the most nominations across different shows by a Black male performer. He still trails Alfre Woodard, who holds the overall record with an impressive 17 nominations, each for a different series.
Colman Domingo earned his second career Emmy nomination, this time for Netflix’s The Four Seasons, following his Guest Actor in a Drama win for Euphoria. Domingo becomes the first performer since Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age) to earn the only nomination representing a comedy series.
Severance star Tramell Tillman is the breakout talent of 2025. He earned his first Emmy nomination for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his compelling role as Milchik in the popular Apple TV+ series, alongside co-star Zach Cherry. If either wins, it would be a historic milestone as the first time a Black actor has won in this category, which remains the only acting category without a Black winner in the Emmys’ 77-year history.
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