Jason Sudeikis and Jean Smart won the 2021 Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress in a comedy series during Sunday night’s ceremony.
Both winners accepted their awards during the show, which was held in-person for the first time in two years and hosted by comedian Cedric the Entertainer from the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
Smart, who won for her leading role in Hacks, began her speech on an emotional note, crediting her late husband, Richard Gilliland, for aiding in her success. He died in March after a brief illness at the age of 71.
“I have to acknowledge my late husband, Richard Gilliland, who passed away six months yesterday, and I would not be here without him, without his kind of putting his career on the back burner so that I could take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities that I’ve had,” she said while holding back tears. She then thanked her “two incredible unselfish children.”
Other talented nominees for the Outstanding Lead Actress category included Aidy Bryant for her role in Shrill, Kaley Cuoco for The Flight Attendant, Allison Janney for Mom, and Tracee Ellis Ross for Black-ish.
Snagging another award for the hit series Ted Lasso was Sudeikis, who went up against Anthony Anderson‘s role in Black-ish, Michael Douglas in The Kominsky Method, William H. Macy in Shameless, and Kenan Thompson in Kenan.
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