Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: Gina Rodriguez still has zero Emmy nominations to her name (thankfully her FYC money went to a good cause this time around). One Day at a Time couldn’t crack any of the top categories (no, not even for living legend Rita Moreno). Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s teen soap Riverdale was nowhere to be found. Ditto for Queen of the South, Narcos, and On My Block, all shows with Latinos both in front and behind the camera doing solid work. Indeed, if you caught Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Ryan Eggold (The Blacklist) announcing the nominations for the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards, you heard no single Latino name. If this sounds familiar it is because this is basically what we bemoaned last year. And the year before. So, while it’s not surprising that the Television Academy can’t quite shed a spotlight on these Latino-centered stories, it is just as dispiriting.
Elsewhere, as always, there was something to celebrate. Following her win last year, Alexis Bledel finds herself in the running again, this time as a Supporting Actress for her work in The Handmaid’s Tale. Ryan Murphy’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace unsurprisingly nabbed nominations for all four of its leads — yes, including Ricky Martin, while awards-magnet Lin-Manuel Miranda earned yet another nom for his work on this season’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. Shout-out also to Full Frontal With Samantha Bee Presents: The Great American* Puerto Rico (*It’s Complicated), which earned several nominations and raised funds for Puerto Rico following 2017’s devastating hurricane season. And if you dive deep into the full list of nominees, you find even more talented Latinos singled out. And so, since we choose to shine a light on those whose skills were rewarded this morning, find below some highlights of the Latinos and Latin Americans nominated for a 2018 Emmy Award.
SNL Weekend Update anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost host the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards airing live on Monday September 17, 2018 on NBC at 8pm ET
Alexis Bledel, The Handmaid's Tale, Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Last year’s winner in the Guest Star category, the Gilmore Girls star, whose father was born and raised in Argentina, and whose mother was raised in Mexico, is in contention again for her work in the Hulu series.
John Leguizamo, Waco, Supporting Actor In A Limited Series or Movie
A previous winner for John Leguizamo: Freak, the Colombian-born performer celebrates his 3rd Emmy nomination for his work on the Paramount Network project.
Edgar Ramirez, The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Supporting Actor In A Limited Series or Movie
The Venezuelan actor was almost unrecognizable as the balding and flamboyant Italian designer whose death anchored the second season of American Crime Story. This is his second Emmy nomination (he was previously nominated for his work on Carlos).
Ricky Martin, The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Supporting Actor In A Limited Series or Movie
The former Menudo singer finally put those telenovela skills to good use in Ryan Murphy’s anthology series as Versace’s grieving partner.
Coco VR, Outstanding Original Interactive Program
Pixar’s Day of the Dead flick keeps picking up awards, this time around for its Virtual Reality program.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
The Hamilton creator is only missing the Oscar in his EGOT but that won’t stop him from nabbing a second Emmy, with this, his 3rd nomination overall.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, StarTalk With Neil deGrasse Tyson, Outstanding Informational Series Or Special
This is the African-American and Puerto Rican astrophysicist’s third consecutive nomination in this category.
Julio Torres, Saturday Night Live, Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series
The Salvadoran-born comedian received a nomination along with the entire writing team of NBC’s Saturday Night Live. This is his second nomination as part of the late night show.
Carlos Rafael Rivera, Godless, Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
Born in Washington, D.C. the US-based musician was raised in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panamá and Miami.
Additional Latino Nominees
Carmen Cuba
Steven Castillo
Gabriel Villareal (aka “Delta Work”) & Hector Pocasangre
Ana Bretón
Daphne Gomez-Mena
Jason Pedroza
Tricia Rodrigo
Melissa Silva Borden
William Fabian Castro
Noel A. Guerra
James J. Munoz
Greg Cornejo
Tony Diaz
Ken Diaz
Milagros Medina-Cerdeira
Andrew Sotomayor
Ana Lozano
Hugo Villaseñor
Eddie Perez
Kico Velarde
See a complete list of nominees here.