Mj Rodriguez better prepare for her best Emmys pose yet.
On Tuesday, July 13, Ron Cephas Jones and daughter Jasmine Cephas Jones announced the nominees for the 2021 Emmy Awards. Spoiler alert: Pose received a whole lot of love from the Television Academy.
While the cast and crew are likely celebrating Pose's nomination for Outstanding Drama Series, many are taking extra notice of Mj's spot in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category.
As it turns out, Mj made Emmys history by becoming the first transgender nominee for the Best Actress category.
The singer-actress, who plays Blanca Evangelista on the FX series, joins fellow nominees Uzo Aduba (In Treatment), Emma Corrin (The Crown), Olivia Colman (The Crown), Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid's Tale) and Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country) in the must-watch category.
In addition to Mj, co-star Billy Porter also scored a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
"Mj Rodriguez's Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is a breakthrough for transgender women in Hollywood, and a long-overdue recognition for her groundbreaking performance over the past three seasons of POSE," GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. "Additionally, the show's nomination for Outstanding Drama Series, as well as Billy Porter's third nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, mark a historic show that undoubtedly raised the bar for trans representation on television and changed the way viewers around the world understand the trans community."
Mj is the third openly transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy in the award show's history.
Pop culture fans may remember Rain Valdez received an Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series nomination for Razor Tongue in 2020. In addition, Laverne Cox received recognition for her role as Sophia Bursey in Orange Is the New Black back in 2014.
Emmy history was also made this morning as four Black actors were nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in the same year.
Billy is nominated alongside Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us), Jonathan Majors (Lovecraft Country), Josh O'Connor (The Crown), Matthew Rhys (Perry Mason) and Regé-Jean Page (Bridgerton).
And in the spirit of making history, Ted Lasso defied expectations with a whopping 20 nominations making it the most nominated freshman comedy in Emmys history.
Perhaps it's just another reason to watch CBS' live broadcast of the 2021 Emmys on Sept. 19