RuPaul gives moving speech after smashing Emmys record with historic Drag Race wins
RuPaul took home two awards at the Creative Arts Emmys on 12 September, 2021. (Getty/ Kevin Winter)
RuPaul gave a moving speech at the Creative Arts Emmys on Sunday (12 September) after smashing his own record with another win for RuPaul’s Drag Race.
He picked up his sixth straight Emmy for Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Competition Program, having already broken the record for most awards in the category last year when he picked up his fifth.
RuPaul beat Nicole Byer, host of Nailed It!, Queer Eye’s Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness, as well as the hosts of Shark Tank and Top Chef.
Drag Race also received a second award at the ceremony, picking up Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program for Untucked.
The two awards tie RuPaul with cinematographer Donald A Morgan for the most Emmys awarded to a Black artist. If Drag Race manages to win its fourth Outstanding Competition Program award in a row at the Primetime Emmys next week (20 September), he will smash this record too.
In his Emmys speech, RuPaul thanked those who had shown him ‘kindness’
Accepting the Emmy, RuPaul reminisced about his first hosting job back in 1981.
According to Deadline, he said: “I started in television 40 years ago on a public access station in Atlanta, Georgia. A little show called The American Music Show.
“They were so kind to me to have me do my hard yards there years ago, and I want to thank them for being so kind to me and all the people in this business who’ve been kind.
“I’ve got to tell you, the sweetness and the kindness is what I appreciate the most today. In fact, the sweetness and the kindness are at the top of my list of human virtues. After that would be a big fat ass.
“Thank you so much for this award.”
While RuPaul may have beat them in the hosting category, Queer Eye’s Fab Five did take home the Emmy for Outstanding Structured Reality Program.
Executive producer Rob Eric said: “If we just choose kindness, no matter what our differences are, whether it’s in the bedroom or in politics, we can find common ground to become a better us. So thank you to the Academy for showing us kindness.”
