STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Laverne Cox Pushes TV Academy To ‘Diversify’ Emmys Voters For Trans Inclusivity

“Who's doing the voting is really crucial.”

After becoming the first transgender actress to score an Emmy nomination in 2014, Laverne Cox wants the Television Academy to continue pushing for more diversity. The 2020 Emmys airs on September 20, and only one trans actress, Rain Valdez, has been nominated this year. 

In an exclusive interview with TooFab, Cox said that "diversifying who's doing the voting is really crucial." 

RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Laverne Cox On A History-Making Supreme Court Case, Danielle Brooks & Billie Porter

"If we continue to diversity membership and interrogate what we consider awards worthy and why, I think that becomes the bigger question -- who decides what is awards worthy and what kind of stories and who tells those stories and how they're told and what audience they’re appealing to and what class of people is being featured,"  Cox said.

RELATED: Kerry Washington On Diversity Issues In Hollywood: ‘We’re Still Centering Whiteness’

“I think those kinds of questions are deeper questions around, when we talk about diversity and award shows.” 

As an Emmys voter, Cox does applaud that stories told on TV shows are "years ahead" when compared to the big screen. 

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.