Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Wins His First Emmy, Dedicating Award ‘To All Of The Black Women In My Life’

Watchmen star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II won his first Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series. He beats out his co-stars Jovan Adepo and Louis Gossett Jr., to take home his first Emmy.

“Oh, man. Thank you so much to the Academy. I’m so excited right now. I want to say thank you first off to my mama and my daddy. Man, I’m surprised,” said the actor, as he accepted his statuette. “Thank you so much to HBO, to Damon Lindelof, for your words, for your creativity.” Also offering praise to his co-stars, the actor went on to discuss his takeaways from the HBO miniseries. “Watchmen was a story about trauma. It was a story about the lasting scars of white domestic terrorism. It was a story about police corruption and brutality, but in the midst of all that, it was also a story about a god who came down to Earth to reciprocate, to a Black woman, all the love she deserved,” Abdul-Mateen II said. “He did all that in the body of a Black man, and I’m so proud that I was able to walk into those shoes. So, I dedicate this award to all of the Black women in my life.”

Leading in the nominations with 26, the show has thus far earned 10 Emmys in total, recognizing Lead Actress Regina King, as well as its cinematography, fantasy/sci-fi costumes, music composition, single-camera picture editing, sound editing, sound mixing and casting.