Shonda Rhimes Thinks It’s “Embarrassing” That We’re Still Celebrating So Many Emmys Firsts

“I’m hoping that people don’t feel satisfied because they saw a lot of people win, and then think that we’re done,” she told Vanity Fair.

On Sunday night, the 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards saw a lot of firsts, from Donald Glover, the first black person to win Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, to Lena Waithe, the first black woman to win Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, to Riz Ahmed, the first Asian man to win an acting Emmy.

Riz Ahmed / Via instagram.com

Of course, that means things have been really white throughout the Emmys’ 69-year history.

Of course, that means things have been really white throughout the Emmys' 69-year history.

Television Academy / Via emmys.com

When talking to Vanity Fair about Waithe’s historic win, three-time Emmy nominee Shonda Rhimes called the fact that it took this long “embarrassing, frankly.”

When talking to Vanity Fair about Waithe's historic win, three-time Emmy nominee Shonda Rhimes called the fact that it took this long "embarrassing, frankly."

Angela Weiss / AFP / Getty Images

“To me, it feels embarrassing that we are still in a place in which we still have to note these moments. … I’m hoping that it’s not a trend.”

“To me, it feels embarrassing that we are still in a place in which we still have to note these moments. ... I’m hoping that it’s not a trend.”

HBO / Via gph.is


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