Niecy Nash-Betts Cries, Thanks Herself and Honors ‘Unheard, Yet Over-Policed’ Women Like Breonna Taylor in Rousing Emmys Speech

Niecy Nash-Betts took home the Emmy for best supporting actress in a limited series, bringing the awards show audience to its feet with her rousing acceptance speech.

Nash-Betts was nominated for her work in the Netflix series “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.”

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“I’m a winner, baby! Thank you to the most high for this divine moment,” Nash-Betts said from the stage. “Thank you, Ryan Murphy, for seeing me. Evan Peters, I love you. Netflix. Every single person who voted for me. Thank you. My better half, who picked me up when I was gutted from this work. Thank you.”

“I want to thank me, for believing in me and doing what they said I could not do,” she continued. “I want to say to myself in front of all you beautiful people, ‘Go, girl, with your bad self. You did that.’ Finally, I accept this award on behalf of every Black and Brown woman who have gone unheard, yet overpoliced, like Glenda Cleveland, like Sandra Bland, like Breonna Taylor!”

The audience members rose to their feet at the conclusion of Nash-Bett’s speech, with the actress declaring that she speaks truth to power and said she is “going to do it until the day I die.”

When asked in the press room backstage about thanking herself, Nash-Betts said “I’m the only one who knows how much it cost me. I’m the only one who knows how many nights I cried because I couldn’t be seen for a certain type of role.” The full video of her backstage comments can be seen below.

Read the full Emmys winners list here.

“Monster” proved to be a massive hit for Netflix, ranking as one of the streamer’s most-watched shows of all time. Netflix subsquently renewed it for two more seasons, with the next season set to focus on the Menendez brothers. Variety recently reported that Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny have been cast as the brothers’ parents.

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