On September 3 and 4, the Creative Arts Emmys handed out trophies in 93 categories, spotlighting artistic and technical achievement in television. That said, there were plenty of LGBTQ winners – with RuPaul’s Drag Race being one of the many queer shows snatching trophies.
RuPaul’s Drag Race headed into the Emmy season with numerous nods, and host RuPaul Charles once again nabbed Best Host, marking his seventh Emmy win in the category. Charles, who has been slaying the category since 2016, is the winningest Black artist in Emmy history, and if the game-changing reality series scores a win for Best Reality Competition this year, it will add a fifth trophy to its mantle. The series also won an Emmy for Outstanding Production Design for a Variety, Reality or Competition Series. The current tally for Emmy wins for RuPaul’s Drag Race is at 12 and it doesn’t seem like it’s gonna stop there.
The pre-game awards ceremony to the 74th Prime Time Emmys on September 12 which will be hosted by Kenan Thompson, also saw Colman Domingo taking home his first Emmy for his guest starring role on HBO’s Euphoria. Nathan Lane also scored his first Emmy for his guest stint on Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, while Laurie Metcalf won for Hacks, and Lee You-mi won for Netflix’s cultural phenomenon Squid Game.
Other noteworthy and queer adjacent wins for the evening included Netflix’s Queer Eye winning its fifth Emmy in the Structured Reality Program category. HBO Max’s vogueing and ballroom competition Legendary won a juried award for Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program, while GLAAD Media Award-winning HBO series We’re Here won for Outstanding Costumes for Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Programming.
Choreographer Parris Goebel won an Emmy for Outstanding Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming for Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3, while Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls scored its first two Emmys for Outstanding Directing for Reality Program and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Structured Reality or Competition Program
It should be noted that the late, great Chadwick Boseman won a posthumous Emmy for his role in the Marvel Studios series What If? and singer Adele is one letter away from an EGOT as her CBS special Adele: One Night Only scored five Emmys.
Thankfully, many prominent queer characters received wins on the casting side as well. Quinta Brunson’s breakout ABC comedy Abbott Elementary, which stars Chris Perfetti as Jacob, the token white ally with a heart of gold, won Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, while The White Lotus starring Murray Bartlett received an Emmy for Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
The Creative Arts Emmys sets the stage for many of these series to win more Emmys on the night of September 12. After this weekend’s ceremonies, HBO and HBO Max lead with 25 wins, while Netflix isn’t too far behind with 23.
