Zendaya is officially a two-time Emmy winner! During Monday’s ceremony, the actor – who recently celebrated her 26th birthday – took home the award for outstanding lead actress in a drama for her continued performance as Rue Bennett on HBO’s “Euphoria.” Also nominated in the category were Jodie Comer for “Killing Eve,” Laura Linney for “Ozark,” Melanie Lynskey for “Yellowjackets,” Sandra Oh for “Killing Eve,” and Reese Witherspoon for “The Morning Show.”
In her acceptance speech, Zendaya began by thanking her fellow actors, friends, and family and the cast and crew of “Euphoria.” “Thank you for making such a safe space to make this very difficult show. I love you all so much,” she began. “Thank you to Sam [Levinson] for sharing Rue with me. Thank you for believing in me even in moments where I didn’t believe in myself.”
She continued: “My greatest wish for ‘Euphoria’ was that it could help heal people, and I just want to say thank you to everyone who has shared their story with me. I want you to know that anyone who has loved a Rue or feels like they are a Rue, I want you to know that I’m so grateful for your stories and I carry them with me and I carry them with her.”
Zendaya also received a pair of nominations for producing and writing original lyrics for two songs, “Elliot’s Song” and “I’m Tired,” both from “Euphoria,” which nabbed a total of 16 nominations.
Zendaya won her first Emmy in the same category back in 2020. As a result, she made history as both the youngest actress and the second-ever Black actress to receive the outstanding lead actress nod. Tonight, Zendaya made history once again as the youngest person of colour to win twice in the best actress in a drama series category.