For the second year in a row, Pose’s groundbreaking trans cast members came out empty handed on Emmy nomination day.
On Tuesday morning, Saturday Night Live star Leslie Jones was joined by Josh Gad (Frozen), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), and Laverne Cox (Orange Is the New Black) to announce this year’s nominees. Cox became the first transgender person ever to be nominated for an Emmy in 2014 for her portrayal of Sophia Burset on the Netflix prison drama, and she would go on to add three more nominations in the following years. She has yet to take home an Emmy trophy and remains the only trans person ever nominated.
Cox’s presence in the announcement broadcast looked to be a promising sign that the Emmys were ready to open the door to more trans performers, but it remained firmly shut as names were called out for main categories. Mj Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore, and Angelica Ross were all snubbed for their performances in Pose’s acclaimed sophomore season.
As news of the omissions spread, fans and television critics particularly lauded overlooked performances from Rodriguez and Ross. Sam Corbett called Rodriguez, who was recognized by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics for her portrayal of upstart house mother Bianca Evangelista, “the heart and soul of that show.” Evan Ross Katz, host of the Shut Up Evan podcast and a them. contributor, added that Ross “should sue” after being snubbed for her performance as Candy, who was the heart of Pose’s second season.
Others, like former Out editor Tre’vell Anderson and journalist Peter Knegt, agreed that the Emmys had missed out on an opportunity to highlight some of the best, most boundary-breaking performances of the year. Pose, which is produced by Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story), has the largest trans cast of any show in history and features nuanced portrayals of sex work and living with HIV.
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