Yes, we are still talking about the disproportionate amount of lack of representation in TV. 

Since the rise of the Black Lives Matter protests after the death of George Floyd on Memorial Day, all forms of society have been uprooted. The Oscars have come under fire, and the same day the Emmy nominations released the list of nominees, the Los Angeles Times displayed their predominantly white contenders.

The L.A. Times reported that from 2015-2019, of the 19 prime-time Emmy categories, an overwhelming 82% were white, as well as more than 75% acting nominees, and 90% of the writing and directing nominees.

The ones observed were 12 of the major acting categories, writing and directing groups for comedy, drama, and limited series, and directing for a variety series. 

However, Black people made up 14% of the nominees overall, Asians were 2%, Latinos 1%, and ‘others’ combined made up the remaining 1%.

In a statement to the paper, the Television Academy said it still felt accomplished about increasing its ratio for nominees of color. 

“We feel it is a very positive sign that over the past decade the well-deserved recognition of performers of color has increased from 1 in 10 to 1 in 3 nominees across all performer categories. Clearly that increase in representation has not been equal for all groups, and clearly there is still more to do to improve both gender and racial representation across all categories,” read the statement.

To no shock at all, considering that the award committees were made up by white folk, and continue to be, in the last five years there have been no Latino performers nominated for lead or supporting roles in comedy or drama series. 

However, the Hispanic/Latino community are the largest ethnic ‘minority’ in the United States.

More underrepresentation is seen in women and people of color in the industry. A spokesperson from the Television Academy said that the organization does not require their members to disclose their racial and/or ethnic identification. 

Higher up the ladder, there is also a bigger the divide. Writing and producing positions disproportionately favor men over women. 

Seventy percent and 76% of executive producer jobs and showrunners are made up of men, however women only account for 57% of staff writers. 

On a more positive note, the 2019 Emmy awards did see more female nominations as writers. 

To acknowledge their efforts in diversifying the award show in light of recent events, the Academy will honor people of color and women from major categories from series like: Pose, Watchmen, and Little Fires Everywhere.