Kerry Washington picks up a whopping 4 Emmy nods: 'Beyond our wildest dreams'
Kerry Washington had an exciting Tuesday morning.
As the 2020 Emmy nominations were unveiled, Washington was recognized in four categories, both as an actress and as a producer. She was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for the TV adaptation of Little Fires Everywhere and, on the production side, as part of the teams behind Little Fires Everywhere, a nominee for Outstanding Limited Series or Movie; American Son, a nominee for Outstanding Television Movie; and for Live in Front of a Studio Audience, a staging of Norman Lear’s classic sitcoms, recognized as a nominee in the category of Outstanding Variety Special.
Although there were reports that Washington had set a record by being nominated across four categories in one year, that’s not true, according to the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. For example, TV talk show host James Corden received seven nominations in 2019, thanks to his work on The Late Late Show With James Corden, extended versions of his Carpool Karaoke segment, plus his gig hosting reality competition The World’s Best. Another producer on Corden’s show, Ben Winston, collected eight nods the same year.
Nevertheless, Washington was thrilled, as she said in a statement.
“To be recognized in this way this morning is such an honor — but to be able to share it with my partner Pilar Savone and our Simpson Street family makes it even more meaningful. The experiences we’ve been able to have this year were beyond our wildest dreams: working with the legendary Norman Lear and Jimmy Kimmel to bring iconic shows from the 70s to new audiences with Live In Front of a Studio Audience, to adapting AMERICAN SON, a Broadway play about Black lives and police violence to Netflix, to bringing Celeste Ng’s beautiful novel Little Fires Everywhere to life with my incredible friends Reese Witherspoon, Lauren Neustadter and Liz Tigelaar. But the tears came this morning when I heard about Lynn Shelton’s nomination for Little Fires Everywhere. I’m so incredibly grateful that the Television Academy has chosen to honor Lynn with this very deserved nomination. I know she’s celebrating in the beyond.”
Shelton, who was recognized for directing the final episode of Washington’s series with Reese Witherspoon and Joshua Jackson, died unexpectedly of a blood disorder on May 15. She was 54.
Washington wasn’t the only one remembering her. Comedian Marc Maron, Shelton’s boyfriend when she died, said he was missing her, too.
I know for a FACT Lynn Shelton would be thrilled with her Emmy nomination for directing for LFE! Deserved. She was the real deal. Miss her. A lot. #RIP
— marc maron (@marcmaron) July 28, 2020
Before this year’s Emmy nods were announced, Washington had previously been nominated for four total. Three were for acting: two for her performance in ABC drama Scandal, in 2013 and 2014, and another in 2016 for HBO’s Anita Hill movie, Confirmation. (Washington played Hill.) The fourth was as an executive producer for Confirmation, when it earned a nod for Outstanding Television Movie.
The Emmys air Sunday, Sept. 20 on ABC.
This story was originally published at 3:26 p.m. Pacific on July 28, 2020.
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