Aziz Ansari, Lena Waithe Win Emmy for Master of None Episode

By | September 18, 2017

Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe brought in diversity to the winners’ line-up at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards as co-writers of a Masters of None episode, in which a character came out as a homosexual.

The Thanksgiving episode had Waithe’s on-screen character, Denise, discover her sexuality and she comes out to her friends and family over the course of five Thanksgivings spanning 22 years.

As Aziz, an Indian American actor, and Lena Waithe, who is an African American, took the stage at Microsoft Theater, they received a standing ovation. Waithe, who becomes the first African-American to win an Emmy award for writing a comedy series, gave the acceptance speech.

Congrats to #MasterofNone‘s @azizansari & @LenaWaithe – the first African-American woman to win an #EMMY for outstanding comedy writing. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/pWwRGsjSmM

— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) September 18, 2017

Master of None is a Netflix-original comedy created by Ansari and writer Alan Yang. It debuted in 2015. Last year, the comedy series had won Ansari and Yang an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for the episode Parents, which celebrated the life of an immigrant family. Ansari, a stand-up comedian, focuses on his personal life and observations as an immigrant.

Waithe, in her acceptance speech, thanked her mother, girlfriend, the show’s cast and the LGBTQIA community for their support. “I love you more than life itself,” Waithe said to her girlfriend. She also thanked her mother for inspiring the Thanksgiving episode.

She expressed gratitude to the LGBTQIA community as well, and said: “I see each and every one of you. The things that make us different, those are our superpowers.”

She added: “Every day when you walk out the door and put on your imaginary cape and go out there and conquer the world because the world would not be as beautiful as it is if we weren’t in it.”

Waithe then took a moment to thank the Television Academy for embracing diversity.

“For everybody out there that showed so much love, thank you for embracing us, a little Indian boy from South Carolina and black girl in the southtown of Chicago. We appreciate it more than you could ever know.”

Before the gala, Waithe had posted a joyful childhood photograph on her instagram and captioned it: “This little girl always dreamed of going to the Emmys one day. And today her dream comes true. This is how I feel no matter what happens tonight.”

— (With inputs from IANS)