Culture

Laverne Cox Calls Out Emmys For Snubbing Her Four Times, Gets Censored


 

Few entertainers have done more to fundamentally reshape the representational fabric of American culture as Laverne Cox. Through her trailblazing role as Sophia Burset on Orange Is The New Black, she challenged millions of viewers around the globe to witness the undeniable humanity of Black trans women, and particularly those experiencing incarceration.

Her work as an actor and as a towering advocate of the communities she represents has earned her numerous awards, though one recognition still alluding her is the one some believe she deserves most: An Emmy for her performance in the acclaimed Netflix prison drama.

At this year’s virtual Emmys, Cox was nominated for the fourth time, but again, she was left empty-handed. Making the snubbing sting that much worse was the fact that this year marked the final opportunity for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences — the body that oversees the Emmy Awards — to recognize Cox’s historic performance. The series’ final season aired in 2019.

During last night’s virtual broadcast, Cox made sure to use her opportunity as a presenter to lace into the Academy, unleashing an unscripted monologue so forceful it was partially censored by ABC.

“I am living proof of the American dream that anyone in this country can lose the Emmy four years in the same category,” Cox said, transforming the tired verbiage so often used to celebrate her ascendance into an account of her continued dismissal. “And yet somehow end up on this stage presenting an award to someone who probably didn’t,” she continued before being cut off.

It was later revealed that Cox’s full comment had been: “presenting an award to someone who probably didn’t effing vote for me.”

Once the audio returned, Cox could be heard deepening her critique. “What happens to an American dream deferred?” she asked, rhetorically. “Does it shrivel up like a raisin in the sun? Stick to the script Laverne, stick to the script. And now here are the nominees for Writing in a Drama Series.”

Cox was not the only deserving trans actress to go unrecognized at last night’s Emmys. At this year’s awards, Rain Valdez, creator and star of the short “Razor Tongue,” became the second openly trans person to be nominated for an acting Emmy. Unfortunately, she would also join Cox as the second openly trans person to be nominated and then go on to lose the award.





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