Emmy Winners 2022: Zendaya, Quinta Brunson, Sheryl Lee Ralph Win Top Honours

This year, the Emmys offered few surprises but plenty of powerful speeches, in an awards-packed telecast that handed out trophies to established favorites with a few spoilers mixed in. The Emmys once again crowned Succession as the best drama winner, and Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso as best comedy series.

Among 25 awards presented at Monday's ceremony, Lizzo, Zendaya, Quinta Brunson, and Sheryl Lee Ralph truly struck gold, who took home awards, making it a major moment for women in Hollywood. Ralph was the first major win of the evening, winning the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Barbara Howard in ABC's breakout sitcom Abbott Elementary, followed by Lizzo winning her first ever Emmy Award.

Women Emmy Winners 2022

Zendaya

Zendaya claimed her second best drama actress award for Euphoria, about a group of teens’ tough coming-of-age. She won her first Emmy back in 2020 (with a virtual ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic) for the same acclaimed role.

“Thanks for making such a safe space to make this very difficult show. My greatest wish for Euphoria was that it could help heal people. Thank you for everyone who has shared your story with me. I carry them with me, and I carry them with Rue (her character)", Zendaya said.

Quinta Brunson

Brunson picked up her first Emmy tonight, earning the award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for her work on the Abbott Elementary pilot. She made history with the win, becoming the third Black writer and second Black woman writer to receive the honor, per E! News.

Suggested Reading: Who Is Sheryl Lee Ralph? First-Time Emmy Nominee Wins Best Supporting Actress Honour

Lizzo

Pop singer Lizzo, who created the Amazon series Watch Out for The Big Grrrls, won for best competition series and underscored the importance of representation in an emotional speech. “When I was a little girl, all I wanted to see was someone like me in the media,” she said. “Someone fat like me, Black like me, beautiful like me. If I could go back and tell little Lizzo something, I would be like, ‘You’re going to see that person … but, bitch, it’s going to have to be you.’”

Sheryl Lee Ralph

Veteran actor Sheryl Lee Ralph, on Monday, won an Emmy as a first-time nominee at the age of 66. Ralph relished in her victory by singing Dianne Reeve's “Endangered Species,” and imploring others to never give up on themselves no matter how long it takes to be seen.

Ralph was nominated for her role as a tough but loving kindergarten teacher on the comedy series. She won the best supporting actress in a comedy for her role as Barbara Howard, a beloved, matriarchal teacher on Abbott Elementary, a sitcom about high-spirited teachers in a woefully underfunded Philadelphia public school.

Jennifer Coolidge

Another first-time winner and veteran performer, Jennifer Coolidge, provided a comedic counterpoint. Revealing she “took a lavender bath tonight, and um, right before the show, and it made me swell up inside my dress, and I’m having a hard time speaking”, the White Lotus star danced all the way through the play-off music for best supporting actress in a limited series.