Ayo Edebiri, Cynthia Erivo, Uzo Aduba, and Ruth Negga Snag Primetime Emmy Nominations 2025
Ayo Edebiri and Uzo Aduba are both up for lead actress in a comedy series, Cynthia Erivo for guest actress, and Ruth Negga, for supporting actress – her first Emmy nod – at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards.
Ayo Edebiri is nominated for a lead actress Emmy, as well as a second nod for directing an episode of ‘The Bear’.
American actors of Nigerian descent, Ayo Edebiri and Uzo Aduba, will compete against each other for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. Edebiri is nominated for playing Sydney Adamu in The Bear, a role that earned her the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series back in 2023. She’s also nominated for directing the sixth episode of the third season, released last year.
Aduba, who’s a three-time Emmy winner, is in the comedy lead actress category for her compelling turn in Netflix’s mystery comedy hit show, The Residence. It’s her first time snagging a lead actress nomination, after competing and winning supporting actress Emmys, including two wins for her breakout performances in Orange is the New black.
Edebiri and Aduba will face stiff competition in the comedy lead actress category from three other nominees, including the creator of the hit show Abbott Elementary and a former winner, Quinta Brunson. This marks the second consecutive year that the majority of nominees in this category are women of color.
Irish Ethiopian actress Ruth Negga received her first Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. She’s up for her role as Barbara Sabich in the Apple TV+ legal thriller, Presumed Innocent. A win would make Negga the first non-American winner of the category in fourteen years.
British Nigerian actress Cynthia Erivo is nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her appearance in episode one of the second season of the mystery comedy series Poker Face. In the episode, Erivo puts in a remarkable turn as all five Kazinsky sisters, an eye-catching role that should earn her serious consideration for her first Primetime Emmy and her second Emmy overall.
Per Variety, 24 of the 94 actors nominated in this year’s Emmys acting categories are people of color, marking a decline in representation from the past five years. This year’s ceremony will take place in Los Angeles in September. Apple TV+’s workplace satirical drama, Severance, leads all nominees with 27 nominations, while The Batman spin-off, The Penguin, follows with 24 nods. Comedy drama shows, The White Lotus and The Studio, are the only other shows in the 20-plus club, with 23 nominations each.
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