Emmy Awards go gender neutral

The Emmy Awards have gone gender neutral.

The Television Academy’s Board of Governors has confirmed that nominees in the Best Actress or Best Actor awards can choose to be called a “performer” rather than an actor or an actress when the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards take place in September this year.

They said in a statement on their website: “No performer category titled “Actor” or “Actress” has ever had a gender requirement for submissions. Now, nominees and (or) winners in any performer category titled “Actor” or “Actress” may request that their nomination certificate and Emmy statuette carry the term “Performer” in place of Actor or Actress.”

At the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ swept the board, taking home all seven awards in the comedy categories including the prestigious Outstanding Comedy Series accolade, for which it was shortlisted alongside ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’, ‘Dead to Me’, ‘The Good Place’, ‘Insecure’, ‘The Kominsky Method’, ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ and ‘What We Do in the Shadows’.

There were wins in the Lead Actor and Actress in a comedy series categories for co-creator Eugenie Levy and Catherine O’Hara, and in the Supporting Actor and Actress categories for Dan Levy – who also won for writing and directing – and Annie Murphy.

Accepting his acting prize, his third of the evening, Dan quipped: “Come on! Oh no! OK, the internet’s about to turn on me. I’m so sorry.”

Other winner at the times included ‘Euphoria’ star Zendaya for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Mark Ruffalo, who took Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his work on ‘I Know This Much Is True’, and Billy Crudup and Julia Garner, who took the Outstanding Supporting Actor and Actress in a Drama Series honours respectively for ‘The Morning Show’ and ‘Ozark’.