The competition was stiff at the Emmys last night — particularly in the category of Best Competition Program.
RuPaul’s Drag Race had taken home the night’s top reality prize four years running, and many predicted that the wildly popular series would make it five straight.
But Emmy’s newcomer Lizzo shocked the world by taking home the award for her Amazon Prime Video series Watch Out For the Big Grrrls.
The show focuses on 13 women competing to become one of Lizzo’s backup dancers, and needless to say, its debut season made quite an impression on Emmy voters.
Lizzo, of course, is always a crowd pleaser, and she took the stage to deliver one of the most memorable acceptance speeches of the night.
(Rivaled only by Sheryl Lee Ralph who belted out her speech in song form, and Jennifer Coolidge who danced as the show’s producers attempted to play her off stage.)
“The trophy is nice but my emotion is for these people who are on this stage with me, the stories that they shared,” the singer tearfully explained.
“They’re not that unique, they just don’t get the platform. … Let’s just tell more stories.”
Lizzo went on to share a personal story that demonstrates the importance of representation:
“When I was a little girl, all I wanted to see was me in the media. Someone fat like me, Black like me, beautiful like me,” she recalled.
“If I could go back and tell little Lizzo something, I’d be like, ‘You gonna see that person but, b-tch, it’s gonna have to be you.’”
In a pre-show interview with Deadline, Lizzo revealed that she had not yet written an acceptance speech in anticipation of a possible win.
“I think I’m more excited about what I’m going to wear. Like, it’s just a big deal to be there. This is going to be my first Emmys, my first Emmys carpet. I want to feel like the belle of the ball,” she said at the time.
“So, I think I’m more excited about planning my look than a speech. I think I’m just going to drink champagne.”
So what’s next for the pop icon-turned-Emmy-winning producer?
Well, it’ll be tough to top her meteoric rise of the past two years, but the 34-year-old Minneapolis native told Deadline that there’s already a second season of Big Grrrls in the works — but fans should expect something different.
“I’m definitely all about changing things up,” she said.
As for her music career, Lizzo is fresh from dominating at the 2022 VMAs, and she sees no reason to slow down.
“The sky is literally the limit,” she told Deadline.
We can’t wait to see what she has in store.