Don’t mind us while we grab our box of tissues.
Even while competing in a jam-packed category, Liza Colón-Zayas prevailed and became the first ever Latina to win for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. The Puerto Rican actor—who portrays Tina on The Bear—took home her first-ever Emmy Award on Sunday evening, dedicating her win to the entire cast of the acclaimed FX series, her family, and Latinas everywhere, making sure to acknowledge the magnitude of the moment. She accepted her award in a dazzling green sequin gown courtesy of Christian Siriano, and jokingly thanked stagehands for lowering the microphone ahead of her speech, as she is famously petite.
"Thank you to my husband, David Zayas. He told me to write a speech, and I didn’t,” she began her speech. “How, how could I have thought it would be possible to be in the presence of Meryl Streep and Carol Burnett and Janelle [James] and Sheryl Lee Ralph and Hannah [Einbinder]?”
Colón-Zayas also addressed Latinas in the audience or watching on television, saying she hopes they see her win as a sign not to give up in Hollywood—and she reminded everyone listening to also register to vote.
“Thank you for giving me a new life with this show and to all the Latinas who are looking at me —keep believing and vote,” the actor concluded before exiting the stage. “Vote for your rights.”
