From 'Abbott Elementary' to 'Dope Thief,' Black Stars Break New Ground at Emmys

The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, airing live Sept. 14 on CBS and Paramount+, will spotlight a competitive and diverse field — including record-breaking nominations for Quinta Brunson and Ayo Edebiri and standout first-time nods for Brian Tyree Henry and Tramell Tillman.

The 2025 Emmy nominations just dropped — and while prestige dramas like “Severance,” “The White Lotus,” and “The Penguin” soaked up the most nods, a deeper look reveals a meaningful showing for Black talent across genres, from comedy and drama to limited series and talk shows. In fact, this year's nominations saw approximately 25.5% of all acting nominations go to actors of color, with Black performers making a significant impact across categories.

Black Excellence at the 2025 Emmys

• Quinta Brunson – Nominated for lead actress in a comedy and writing. Ties Tracee Ellis Ross for most lead comedy nods by a Black woman (4 total).
• Ayo Edebiri – First Black woman nominated for both acting and directing in comedy in the same year. Youngest to earn 3 acting Emmy noms.
• Sterling K. Brown – Lead actor nod for "Paradise" marks his seventh series with Emmy recognition, tying Don Cheadle’s record.
• Brian Tyree Henry – Earned a lead actor nod for "Dope Thief." Continues building a standout post-"Atlanta" resume.
• Tramell Tillman – First-time nominee for supporting actor in drama for his breakout role in "Severance."
• Janelle James – Supporting actress nominee for her scene-stealing role in "Abbott Elementary."
• Sheryl Lee Ralph – Repeat supporting nomination for "Abbott Elementary," adding to her late-career Emmy surge.

Winners will be announced at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14, live from Los Angeles.

Quinta Brunson and Sheryl Lee Ralph are once again representing for “Abbott Elementary,” both earning repeat nominations for their sharp, hilarious work on the ABC hit. Janelle James also picked up a supporting actress nod, keeping the entire Abbott trio in the race for another year of Emmy love. Notably, Brunson's nomination marks her fourth acting nod, tying her with Tracee Ellis Ross for third most-nominated Black woman in lead comedy actress. She also made history by tying Stefani Robinson for most writing nominations by a Black woman (three total), and is the first to achieve all three writing nominations for a single series.

“The Bear” star Ayo Edebiri landed a nomination for lead actress in a comedy — a major bump from her previous supporting win. Beyond her acting nod, Edebiri also secured a directing nomination for "The Bear" episode "Napkins," making her the first woman nominated for acting and directing in comedy in the same year, and only the second Black woman nominated for comedy directing. At 29, she also becomes the youngest Black woman to receive three Emmy acting nominations. Meanwhile, Sterling K. Brown returned to the drama lead actor field for his role in “Paradise,” a series that continues to build critical momentum after a strong first season. This nomination marks his seventh different series to receive recognition, tying Don Cheadle for the most among Black male performers.

One of the most exciting newcomers? Brian Tyree Henry, nominated for lead actor in a limited series for “Dope Thief.” It’s another milestone for the “Atlanta” standout, who’s quietly building one of the most versatile careers of his generation.

Quick Look: Top Emmy Nominees by Program

• “Severance” (Apple TV+): 27 nominations
• “The Penguin” (HBO): 24 nominations
• “The White Lotus” (HBO): 23 nominations
• “The Studio” (Apple TV+): 23 nominations
• “The Bear” (FX): 13 nominations
• “Abbott Elementary” (ABC): 6 nominations
• “Adolescence” (Netflix): 13 nominations
• “Dying For Sex” (FX): 9 nominations
• “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (MTV): 8 nominations
• “The Daily Show” (Comedy Central): 8 nominations

Full list available at Emmys.com.

Tramell Tillman made waves in “Severance” and earned his first Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a drama, sharing the category with heavyweights like Sam Rockwell and Walton Goggins. Tillman’s breakout role as the chilling Mr. Milchick has become one of the show’s most talked-about performances.

On the reality and variety side, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” picked up another nomination for best competition series, while “The Daily Show,” now led by Jon Stewart, made the cut for outstanding talk series. Both continue to reflect the shifting cultural and political discourse in television.

But for all the deserved nods, the list also left some audiences asking questions. Where was Donald Glover? And what about the cultural juggernaut “Swarm”? While "Swarm" star Dominique Fishback did earn her first Emmy nod in 2023 for Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, the series itself was noticeably absent from major nominations this year, despite its impact. Even in a year of expanding representation, some of Black TV’s most experimental and genre-bending work went overlooked.

Still, the 2025 Emmys are shaping up to be one of the most competitive — and culturally rich — in recent memory. From network comedies to Apple TV+ thrillers, the nominations reflect a growing, if uneven, appetite for inclusion and depth in storytelling. Whether the winners follow that trend when the Emmys air September 14 remains to be seen.

Unreleased Beyoncé Music Stolen in Atlanta Car Break-In Ahead of Cowboy Carter Tour

Atlanta police issued a warrant for a suspect after unreleased music, set lists, and tour plans were stolen from Beyoncé’s choreographer’s SUV in a break-in days before her “Cowboy Carter” shows in Atlanta.

Just days before Beyoncé was set to light up Mercedes-Benz Stadium for four nights on her “Cowboy Carter” tour, a brazen theft rocked her inner circle — and may have jeopardized unreleased music from one of the most tightly guarded vaults in pop.

According to police and multiple local media reports, thieves broke into a black Jeep Wagoneer at the Krog Street Market parking deck on Tuesday, July 8, stealing multiple suitcases containing hard drives loaded with unreleased, watermarked Beyoncé tracks, footage plans for her shows, and both past and future set lists.

The vehicle belonged to Beyoncé’s longtime choreographer Christopher Grant and dancer Diandre Blue, who told police they had parked for about an hour while dining nearby. When they returned, they discovered the rear window smashed and two suitcases missing.

“The hard drives contained watermarked music, some unreleased music, footage plans for her show, and past and future set list,” an officer wrote in the incident report.

Also stolen were laptops, Tom Ford sunglasses, a book bag, clothing, and a pair of Apple AirPods Max headphones. The report notes that the stolen electronics included trackers, and that police used the Find My app to attempt recovery. Officers traced the headphones to a location where they conducted a suspicious person stop, but no arrests were made at the scene.

Cameras reportedly captured footage of the theft at the parking deck’s entrance, and police were able to recover two light fingerprints. An arrest warrant has since been issued, but Atlanta police have not released the suspect’s identity, and the stolen hard drives and files remain unrecovered.

Beyoncé, who has not commented publicly on the theft, arrived in Atlanta for a four-night run beginning Thursday, July 10. The incident unfolded as thousands of fans were descending on the city, part of the southern leg of her genre-bending “Cowboy Carter” tour — a cultural event that’s not just about music, but about reclaiming Black identity in country and Americana spaces.

Christopher Grant, the choreographer whose materials were stolen, can be heard in a 911 call saying, “They stole my computers and everything... I work with someone of high status. I really need my computer.”

The theft comes during a rare moment of tension surrounding a Beyoncé project — particularly one as daring and thematically resonant as “Cowboy Carter.” Critics and fans alike have praised the album as a boundary-pushing work of reinvention, and its stage show has been cloaked in secrecy.

That secrecy may now be compromised.

While artists at Beyoncé’s level typically store backup copies of creative materials in secure locations, the loss of sensitive files — particularly those containing performance plans and unreleased songs — raises alarm not just for the superstar’s brand, but for the tight-knit team that operates under her famously exacting creative control.

As of press time, there is no official confirmation whether the unreleased tracks have leaked. But the breach is a stark reminder that even in an era of global security and digital encryption, physical lapses can still upend the highest tiers of entertainment.

The case remains under active investigation. Beyoncé’s camp has remained silent.

Watch: Grown Men, Grown Bars: Clipse Returns with Grief, Gospel and God at Tiny Desk

In one of the most potent live moments hip-hop has seen in years, Clipse returned to the stage for their NPR Tiny Desk debut—a stripped-down yet searing performance that doubled as a celebration, a eulogy, and a cultural reckoning. Backed by a hard-hitting band and driven by the same raw precision that made them legendary, Pusha T and Malice brought decades of pain, reflection, and bravado into one of the most unforgettable Tiny Desk sets in recent memory.

It had been 16 years since Clipse last stood as a duo in front of a live audience. Since 2009’s Til the Casket Drops, the brothers—born Terrence and Gene Thornton—had gone their separate ways: Pusha ascended the solo ladder as a top-tier lyricist and G.O.O.D. Music president, while Malice found spiritual clarity and changed his name to No Malice, stepping back from the limelight entirely.

But for this moment—on a modest stage that’s become a proving ground for real artists—they stood shoulder to shoulder once again. The performance opened with an audible gasp from the crowd as the eerie first notes of “Virginia” set the tone. “I’m from Virginia, where ain't [expletive] to do but cook,” Pusha rapped, his cadence as cold as ever, while Malice stood stoic, surveying the room like a preacher searching for truth.

There was no band full of jazzy reinterpretations here, as NPR’s Bobby Carter revealed. The group insisted on keeping their sound uncut, unfiltered—heavy drums, haunting synths, no smoothing out the edges. Daru Jones, a hybrid drummer known for blending acoustic and electronic elements, was brought in to match their aesthetic. It worked. So did the chemistry.

The duo slid into “Keys Open Doors” and “Momma I’m So Sorry” with surgical timing, revisiting tracks from their 2006 masterwork Hell Hath No Fury. Then came “Chains and Whips,” a fierce new track from their 2025 album Let God Sort Them Out—their first full-length together in over a decade.

But the most human moment came with “Birds Don’t Sing,” a tear-stained tribute to their late parents, who died just four months apart. Malice described it as a “documented conversation”—their final words with their mother and father woven into the verses. It was less a performance than a confessional, with the band pulling back to let every syllable breathe. Pusha’s voice cracked; Malice stared straight ahead, as if speaking to ghosts.

Then came the gut punch. The unmistakable Neptunes beat for “Grindin’”—their breakout 2002 anthem—sent the room into controlled chaos. Fans shouted every bar. And for a moment, it felt like time folded in on itself: the Coke rap kings of the Clipse era reborn in front of NPR bookshelves.

The performance wasn’t just nostalgia—it was statement. Clipse didn’t just return to the stage; they reclaimed a place in hip-hop's living history. “Let God Sort Them Out,” released earlier this summer, dives deeper into mortality, legacy, and survival than anything they’ve recorded before. And the Tiny Desk concert made it clear—they’re not here to fade into the culture’s rearview.

They’re here to burn it into your memory, again.


Watch the entire performance below.