Emmys 2019: The 6 best acceptance speeches from the evening

The 2019 Emmys had some impressive acceptance speeches. These speeches do more than list the thank yous of the winner. They move the audience through humor, social awareness, and love.

Like every award show, the 2019 Emmys had winners give acceptance speeches. Sometimes, these acceptance speeches are just a list of thank yous that audiences have to sit through, but this year’s Emmys ceremony had many winners who understood how to give an engaging acceptance speech. Whether it was with humor, social awareness, love, or just pure joy over winning an Emmy, the winners below gave some noteworthy speeches.

In no particular order, here are the Emmy winners who mastered the art of the perfect acceptance speech this year.

Alex Borstein: Best Support Actress in a Comedy Series (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Alex Borstein won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and she gave the perfect acceptance speech afterward. It had the perfect balance of comedy, sincerity, and a message to the viewers. She first made a joke apologizing for not wearing a bra to last year’s Emmys ceremony and for also not wearing underwear as she spoke.

"“So you’re gonna wanna just throw that chair out or clean it pretty good,” she said. “ It looks pretty on TV, but it’s like a hot Bikram yoga class in here. Lot of nervous women.”"

After letting people get out their laugh, she raised the golden Emmy in her hand and dedicated the award to the strength of women. She specifically called out Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, the cast and crew of Mrs. Maisel, her mother, and grandmother. She then followed saying her mother and grandmother are Holocaust survivors.

"“My grandmother turned to a guard, she was in a line to be shot into a pit,” Borstein recounted, “and she said, ‘What happens if I step out of line?’ The guard said, ‘I don’t have the heart to shoot you, but somebody will.’ And she stepped out of line. And for that I am here, and for that my children my here. So step out of line, ladies! Step out of line!”"

This made the crowd erupt into applause. Borstein’s acceptance speech happened toward the beginning of the night, setting the bar high for her colleague’s speeches.

Patricia Arquette: Best Supporting Comedy Actress for Drama Series (The Act)

When Patricia Arquette got onstage and accepted her award, she didn’t seem too excited — an unexpected reaction to winning a sought-after award. But once she opened her mouth, we realized that winning the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress wasn’t what she wanted to talk about. She said:

"“I just have to say I’m grateful to be working. I’m grateful at 50 to be getting the best parts of my life. And that’s great, but in my heart I am so sad I lost my sister Alexis. And that Trans people are still being persecuted. And I’m in mourning every day of my life, Alexis and I will be the rest of my life for you until we change the world, so that Trans people are not persecuted. And give them jobs. They’re human beings, let’s give them jobs. Lets get rid of this bias we have everywhere.”"

Arquette’s passion for Trans rights was poignant. Her passion partly comes from losing her Trans sister, Alexis Arquette. Alexis was a Transgender actress and activist who died on September 11, 2016 due to HIV complications. She was put in a medically induced coma surrounded by friends and family, and she died in her sleep. It was powerful to see Patricia Arquette be vulnerable and use her moment in the spotlight to support people who are less privileged. An example of perfect allyship.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge: Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and Best Comedy Series (Fleabag)

Phoebe Waller-Bridge won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for her writing on the Amazon show Fleabag. She talks honestly about writing by saying, “I find writing really, really hard and really painful… But I’d like to say, just honestly from the bottom of my heart, this the reason why I do this is this!” She held up her Emmy to emphasize that the joke was she was only moved to write to get an Emmy.

“So it’s made it all very worth it, guys,” she continued. “Thank you so much.” Waller-Bridge then went on to thank the cast and crew of Fleabag, “her Fleabag family.”

Waller-Bridge also won in the category for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She accepted the award saying, “Noooo..oh my god…Noo…Thank you…I find acting really hard and really painful.” The callback to her previous speech made the audience erupt with laughter.

Phoebe was still not done charming the audience for the night. When Fleabag won for Best Comedy Series, she entered the stage with the cast and crew of Fleabag.

"“This is just getting ridiculous,” she said. “Fleabag started out as a one-woman show at Edinburgh Festival 2014, and the journey has been absolutely mental to get here. I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved…this unbelievable team.”"

A fun addition to the Best Comedy Series speech was when director Harry Bradbeer took the mic to apologize for not thanking his wife and children earlier when he was accepting the award for Best Directing in a Comedy Series. Waller-Bridge being overwhelmed and her sense of humor made each of her acceptance speeches entertaining. They were simple, but they showed off her likability, which is what you want if you want people to continue to enjoy your work.

Michelle Williams: Lead Actress in a Limited Series (Fosse/Verdon)

Michelle Williams won Lead Actress in a Limited Series for her role as Gwen Verdon in Fosee/Verdon. Williams used her acceptance speech to talk about the importance of equal pay between men and women. She referenced her own positive experience working with FX and Fox 21 on the series to show the positive effect of showing a woman her true value in the workplace.

"“And so I wanna say thank you so much to FX, and to Fox 21 Studios for supporting me completely, and for paying me equally. Because they understood that when you put value into a person, it empowers that person to get in touch with their own inherent value, and where do they put that value? They put it into their work. And so the next time a women, and especially a woman of color, because she stands to make 52 cents on the dollar compared to her white, male counterpart, tells you what she needs in order to do her job listen to her. Believe her. Because one day she might stand in front of you and say, ‘Thank you,’ for allowing her to succeed because of her workplace environment, and not in spite of it.”"

William’s speech credits FX and Fox 21 for her success because the studios treated her like a valuable employee and paid her equally to her male coworkers. This positive treatment made her experience at work easier and allowed her to do her best work, which got her an Emmy. William’s approach to reference her positive experience as a woman in Hollywood gives hope for every woman in every industry.

Billy Porter: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Pose)

Billy Porter made history as the first black, openly gay man to win in this leading actor category. He plays the role of Pray Tell in the FX series Pose. Before Porter spoke a word, he already exuded excellence in this shiny black and silver suit that was accessorized with a long, scarf-like tie and a lopsided black cowboy hat with silver detail. Porter used this historical moment to spread love and hope.

Before getting into his speech, Porter said, “The category is love.” He quoted James Baldwin, and he said:

"“Took many years of vomiting up all the filth that I had been taught about myself, and halfway believed before I could walk around this Earth, like I had the right to be here.” Porter then adds, “I have the right, you have the right, we all have the right!”"

He thanked his mom, family, husband, and other people who have helped him get there. He repeated Ryan Murphy’s name three times to show how important Murphy is to him. Murphy is the creator of Pose, and Porter said that he saw him and believed in him. Porter closed out the speech by saying artists are “people that can change the molecular structure of people’s hearts and minds of people who live on this planet. Please [artist] don’t stop doing that. Please don’t ever stop telling the truth.”

Billy Porter knows that his winning is important for Black and LGBTQ visibility in media, so he made sure he took the time to empower people in and outside of his community.

Jharrel Jerome: Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (When They See Us)

When it was announced that Jharrel Jerome had won Lead Actor for the role of Korey Wise in Ava DuVernay’s limited Netflix Series When They See Us, the whole theater went wild. Jerome gave his speech through nerves, and it was touching to see how much the award meant to him.

“I feel like I should just be in the Bronx right now,” he said. “Chilling, waiting for my mom’s cooking.” He then thanked all the actors in his category who have inspired him, and he also thanked Ava DuVurney.

He shouted out The Exonerated 5, also known as the Central Park 5, the group of men When They See Us is based on. In 1989, The Exonerated 5 was falsely accused of rape. The 5 (Raymond Santana, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Korey Wise, and Yusef Salaam) were attending the Emmy’s and gave Jerome a standing ovation. In a backstage interview, he talked about working with the Exonerated 5. “I feel like I’m on the basketball team, and they’re on the team with me, and I made that final shot.”

Jerome is also the first Afro-Latino to win an acting Emmy.

What was your favorite acceptance speech from the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards? Share your thoughts in the comments.