by Shanelle Genai —
Nominees for the 2022 Primetime Emmys were released on Tuesday.
Revealed by comedic actor JB Smoove and Melissa Fumero, the two undoubtedly brought joy to those itching for recognition but since you already know how we do things ‘round this way, let’s go ahead and get into the Blackity-black people and projects who were recognized.
First up, congratulations are in order for Quinta Brunson and “Abbott Elementary!” Both received nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Comedy Series, respectively. Janelle James and Sheryl Lee Ralph also earned nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series while Tyler James Williams was recognized for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Brunson, who made history as the first Black woman to receive three comedy Emmy nominations, will also be joined by Issa Rae, who earned a nom in the same category for her cult classic show, “Insecure” (and we here are hella, happy AF about seeing these two beautiful Black women succeed okay?!)
Over in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category, let’s give a round of applause to Donald Glover, who was recognized for his work on “Atlanta.” (Dear Donald, while I am super happy for you, please hurry up and bring Earn and the fellas back to the ATL for this final season. Europe was cool and all but we gotta finish how we started. K? Cool.)
Heading on over to the good folks and projects in the Drama field, euphoric congratulations are in order for Zendaya who snagged a nom for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role in HBO’s “Euphoria.” She’s now the youngest person to receive an acting nomination two years in a row. “Euphoria” itself is also up for Outstanding Drama Series.
Over on the reality and competition show front, congrats are in order to Nicole Byer (“Nailed It!”) and Ru Paul (“Ru Paul’s Drag Race”), who were both recognized for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program.
“Ru Paul’s Drag Race” and “Ru Paul’s Drag Race: Untucked” also scored noms for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program and Outstanding Competition Program, respectively. The show will also be up against “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” for the latter category.
Moving onto the Talk/Sketch Series, let’s clap it up for “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.” The show snagged nominations in both the Outstanding Variety Talk Series and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. HBO and Robin Thede’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show” is also up for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.
Dave Chappelle’s controversial “The Closer” was also recognized for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) while Jerrod Carmichael: “Rothaniel,” Nicole Byer: “BBW (Big, Beautiful, Weird)” are both up for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special.
Other Blackity-black nominees are as followed:
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Jerrod Carmichael (“Saturday Night Live”);
Outstanding Production Design For A Variety, Reality Or Competition Series: “A Black Lady Sketch Show”;
Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special: “Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3, The Pepsi SuperBowl LVI Halftime Show” starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent;
Outstanding Casting, Writing in a Comedy Series: “Abbott Elementary”;
Outstanding Casting in a Drama Series: “Euphoria”;
Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program: “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, Ru Paul’s Drag Race”;
Outstanding Choreography for a Variety or Reality Program: “Annie Live!,” “Savage X Fenty Vol. 3”;
Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour): “Atlanta (‘Three Slaps’), “grown-ish” (‘Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See’), “Insecure: Reunited, Okay?!”
Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour): “Euphoria (‘The Theater and It’s Double’),” “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (‘Pieces of a Man’)”
Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program: “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls,” “Ru Paul’s Drag Race”;
Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking:
“Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches”’
Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series: “jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy,” “We Need to Talk About Cosby”;
Oustanding Character Voice-Over Performance: Chadwick Boseman (“What If..?”), Maya Rudolph (“Big Mouth”;)
But of course, this isn’t ALL the Blackity-black nominees. For the complete list of 2022 Emmy noms, head on over to emmys.com.
The 74th annual Primetime Emmy Awards goes down live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Monday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. CT on NBC and will be available to stream on Peacock.
