10 People Who’ve Made History at the Primetime Emmys

It's always exciting to see your favorite TV stars win at the Emmys, but even more so when they break a record or pave new ground in the process. Click through to see 10 people who've made history by winning or, in some cases, simply being nominated. (Photos via Jason Merritt/Getty Images + Kevin Winter/Getty Images + Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Sandra Oh: At the 2018 Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, September 17, Oh will make history as the first person of Asian descent to be nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She's nominated for her role as British Intelligence officer Eve Polastri in the BBC America series Killing Eve, in which she attempts to track down a cunning female killer played by Jodie Comer. (Photo via JC Olivera/WireImage)

Lena Waithe: Waithe made history in 2017, when she became the first Black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing for her work on Netflix's Master of None. In the episode that won her the award, "Thanksgiving," her character, Denise, comes to terms with her sexuality and comes out to her family over a series of annual holiday dinners. (Photo via Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Donald Glover:Atlanta brought its creator and star two Emmys in 2017, including one for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He also broke new ground by becoming the first Black director to win Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series. (Photo via Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus: She made us laugh for years on Seinfeld, but it was her role as Selina Meyer on Veep that helped Louis-Dreyfus set a new Emmy record. Her six consecutive wins for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy are the most awarded to any one performer for a single role. Reflecting on the historic victory in her acceptance speech, she said, "Let's hope this is the beginning of something even better in our country — and in the world — because I think the world would be a better place if more women were in charge." (Photo via Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Riz Ahmed: In 2016, Ahmed became the first male star of South Asian descent to win an Emmy for acting when he took home the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series for his role as Nasir "Naz" Khan in The Night Of. (Photo via Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Viola Davis: The How to Get Away With Murder star became the first Black woman to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2015. "You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there," she said in her acceptance speech. "So here’s to all the writers, the awesome people that are Ben Sherwood, Paul Lee, Peter Nowalk, Shonda Rhimes, people who have redefined what it means to be beautiful, to be sexy, to be a leading woman, to be Black." (Photo via Mark Davis/Getty Images)

Archie Panjabi: When Panjabi won the 2010 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Kalinda Sharma on The Good Wife, she became the first performer of South Asian descent to win an Emmy in any category for acting. (Photo via Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Jackée Harry: Harry is the first — and, so far, only — Black performer to win the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She took home the award in 1987 for her role as Sandra Clark on 227. (Photo via Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

Isabel Sanford: From 1979 to 1985, Sanford earned seven consecutive nominations for her role as Louise "Weezy" (Mills) Jefferson on The Jeffersons. In 1981, she won the award, becoming the first Black woman to receive an Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. (Photo via Ron Galella/WireImage)

Ethel Waters: When Waters was nominated for the "Goodnight, Sweet Blues" episode of Route 66 in 1962, she became the first Black performer to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for dramatic performance, the first Black woman to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, and the first Black actress to be nominated in the Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role category. (Photo via Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)