actor Mj Rodriguez for outstanding lead actress in a drama series, which makes her the first trans woman to be recognized in a lead-acting category. Anyone who watched this season ofprobably has all their fingers crossed for Rodriguez already—her performance as ballroom house mother Blanca was alternately subtle and devastating.
comedian Bowen Yang became the first featured player from the variety show to be nominated in an acting category. Yang, who is nominated for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series, is also one of the first Chinese Americans to receive an Emmy nomination for acting, and it’s well deserved after the year he’s had: Yang’scharacters, which have included Fran Lebowitz and the iceberg that sank the Titanic, were highlights in a mostly meh season.