One of the most consequential storylines of this Emmy season involves the ones who say, “Action!” Black women hold five directing nominations across three categories this year, the most the Television Academy has ever recognized in a single cycle. Salli Richardson-Whitfield is nominated twice in drama directing, for HBO Max’s “The Gilded Age” and “Task,” alongside Hanelle Culpepper for the Hulu dystopian thriller “Paradise.” Ricki Hughes earned a nod for helming the variety special “Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable,” and Alexandria Stapleton is nominated for the documentary series “Sean Combs: The Reckoning,” both from Netflix. To understand why five is a number worth stopping on, you must count backward.
Debbie Allen became the first Black woman nominated for an Emmy in directing in any genre category, for “The Debbie Allen Special,” in 1989. It took 20 years for another to follow: Millicent Shelton, for the “30 Rock” episode “Kidney Now!” in 2009. What came after was less like a gusher and more like a trickle: Laurie Ann Gibson for the special “Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden” in 2011; Dee Rees for the HBO movie “Bessie” in 2015; Beyoncé Knowles-Carter for “Lemonade” in 2016 and again for “Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé” in 2019; Ava DuVernay for the documentary “13th” in 2017 and the limited series “When They See Us” in 2019; Nadia Hallgren for “Becoming” in 2020; Michaela Coel for “I May Destroy You” in 2021; Dime Davis and Bridget Stokes for “A Black Lady Sketch Show” in 2021 and 2022; Nneka Onuorah for the Prime Video competition series “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” in 2022.
Richardson-Whitfield scored in 2024 with the one and only season of HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” which made her the first woman of color nominated in drama directing. That is 35 years of names rattled off in one single breath. However, five in one morning is showing that progress is being made, even when it seems like Hollywood and the studio and network system is stepping away from DEI.
But when you look at how many have won, that’s a tougher pill to swallow. The only Black women to walk off with the statuette are Stokes and Onuorah, both in variety. Drama, comedy, limited series and documentary have never produced one.
Which is what gives some of this year’s nominees some hope. Stapleton’s bid in particular could have the best shot at going the distance. Directing nominations function as hiring credentials in a way acting nominations do not.
Showrunners staff from lists, agents build those lists from recognition and a name that has never appeared on one is a name that has to be argued and fought for in every room. The Asian American column is thinner still. Cary Joji Fukunaga won in drama in 2014 for the first season of “True Detective.” Lee Sung Jin won in limited series for “Beef.” And that completes the list.
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