Billy Porter Makes History With First Emmys Win
Billy Porter just made history!
The 50-year-old actor took home his first Emmy Award in the Lead Actor in a Drama Series category for his role as Pray Tell on Pose. Porter’s win marks the first time that an openly gay black man has won in the lead actor category.
Taking the stage in his sparkly Michael Kors Collection ensemble, Porter was overcome with emotion as he thanked his cast, show creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Steven Canals and those who supported his career.
"The category is love, y'all! Love!" Porter, who shines as the ballroom emcee on the FX series, began. "I am so overwhelmed and I am so overjoyed to have lived long enough to see this day. James Baldwin said, 'It took many years of vomiting up all the filth that I had been taught about myself and halfway believed before I could walk around this Earth like I had the right to be here.' I have the right. You have the right. We all have the right."
ET guest co-host Sharon Osbourne caught up with Porter ahead of his historic win, where he opened up about being his true self.
"It is proven positive that authenticity always wins no matter how long it takes. Believe in yourself. Choose yourself. Bank on yourself. And muck the rest of it. The world will catch up," he said. Stay true to who you are even when everyone in the world is telling you not to."
Earlier this year, also spoke with ET about his new success and superstardom.
"The fact that it’s happening to me this way, after all these years, is really profound to me," he told ET. "I know I’m part of a generation that kicked the door down for these issues and for these stories to be told. I can say that because it’s the truth. And for those who kicked the door, those who were trailblazers, those who were the first -- we don’t always get these opportunities to reap the benefits."
For more on ET's Emmys coverage, see below.
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