The Emmys became a historic night for Black actors.

At the top of the night, Abbott Elementary‘s Quinta Brunson became the first Black lead female actor in the comedy category in over 40 years. The only winner in that category, according to The Hollywood Reporter, was The Jeffersons‘ Isabel Sanford. Brunson also became the only Black woman to win for creating and writing their own series.

The Bear‘s Ayo Edebiri also became the third Black female actor to win in the comedic supporting actress category. Before her in the category included 227’s Jackée Harry in 1987 and Abbott Elementary‘s Sheryl Lee Ralph in 2022, according to Twitter.

Also, according to Variety’s Senior Awards Editor Clayton Davis, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah won in the variety talk show category, making Noah the first Black person to win for a talk show.

Niecy Nash-Betts’ winning in the best supporting actress for a limited/anthology series or TV movie category was one of the highest points of the night. Having won a Daytime Emmy, this is her first Primetime Emmy.

Her award for her role in Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, led to a meaningful speech not only celebrating her own self-belief, but also the lives of Black women who were persecuted (and in some cases, killed) by police.

As she told herself, according to The Hollywood Reporter, she thanked herself “for believing in me and doing what they said I could not do.”

“I want to say to myself in front of all you beautiful people: ‘Go on girl, with your bad self. You did that!” she continued.

She added that she accepted the award “on behalf of every Black and Brown woman who ahs gone unheard yet over-policed.” She included her portrayal of Dahmer witness Glenda Cleveland, as well as Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor.

“As an artist, my job is to speak truth to power, and baby, I’m going to do it until the day I die,” she said.

Watch her full speech below.

Also, RuPau’s Drag Race secured its fifth Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Competition Program, marking the show’s 28th Emmy win overall. RuPaul, expressing gratitude during the acceptance speech, addressed the challenges faced by drag performers due to anti-drag bills promoted by conservatives.

“We are so honored to have this award. You guys are just lovely for honoring our show and recognizing all these queens. We have released into the wild hundreds of drag queens,” RuPaul stated. “And listen, if a drag queen wants to read you a story at a library, listen to her, because knowledge is power. And if someone tries to restrict your access to power, they are trying to scare you. So listen to a drag queen!”

After four consecutive wins from 2018 to 2021, the show faced defeat in 2022 against Prime Video’s Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls. However, the 15th season has propelled the show back to its winning streak, marking its first victory under MTV, its new network.

Overall, it was a night that showed Black talent was still changing the game in Hollywood, and will keep doing so for as long as they can.

Ayo EdebiriBlavity EntertainmentNiecy Nash-Bettsquinta brunsonRuPaul's-Drag-RaceShadow and ActtelevisionTrevor-Noah