HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

Emmys 2020 slammed for ‘fake diversity’ with #EmmysSoWhite despite 39 color nods: ‘We actually have to win some’

This year, the acting nominees are quite diverse with the likes of Billy Porter for 'Pose', Zendaya for 'Euphoria', Sandra Oh for 'Killing Eve' and Ramy Youssef for 'Ramy'

The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel on ABC, is live and virtual. This year, the acting nominees are quite diverse with the likes of Billy Porter for 'Pose', Zendaya for 'Euphoria', Sandra Oh for 'Killing Eve' and Ramy Youssef for 'Ramy'. And these are only a handful among the 39 performers of color across 16 acting categories. However, not many actually won those awards.

After analyzing the awards nominations from the past 10 years, NBC News found that despite the nods, nearly 80 percent of trophies went to White performers. Meanwhile, Black performers got 15 percent and Latinos were in the three percent zone. Out of all categories, two percent went to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and barely one percent to those of Middle Eastern or Northern African descent.

It seems the Internet caught that and couldn't help but talk about "fake diversity" with the hashtag #EmmysSoWhite. "You can always tell when these award shows went full white on voting. That's when they use more Black/POC folk to present. Fake diversity #EmmysSoWhite," one tweet read and another said, "I’m not someone who cares for Awards Shows for a myriad of reasons such as the obvious racial inequity, but my mom loves watching awards shows and we’re spending time together. So she has it on TV, and #EmmysSoWhite is exactly what’s on my mind."

The awards night comes in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. Rashad Robinson, the president of the racial justice organization Color of Change, told NBC News that diversity at major awards shows deserves to be taken seriously. "In the midst of so many different racial justice issues I could care about, I care about this because of the economic consequences on real people," Robinson said.

However, that doesn't seem to be the case as, despite the nominations, the trophies are hardly going to the Black artists. "You can’t just nominate black actors and have them present the awards. They deserve to WIN! You’re trying to fake diversity and we’re all peeping it. #EmmysSoWhite," one said. Another posted, "They think just by nominating a few black people that puts them in the 'diversity' clear... naw dawg. We actually have to win some. Issa better take something home, that’s all I know. #Emmys."