RuPaul Makes Emmys History As The Most-Awarded Black Artist Ever

The legendary entertainer broke the record with 11 wins for his work on RuPaul's Drag Race.

RuPaul has made a name for himself in the Emmys’ history books as the most-awarded Black artist ever for his work on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

After picking up dual trophies at the Creative Arts Emmys earlier this month, RuPaul added another piece of hardware to his collection at the 73rd annual ceremony on Sunday night with his fourth consecutive victory in the Outstanding Competition Program category.

RuPaul now has 11 Emmys to his name, breaking the record for the most-awarded Black artist in the show’s history, which was previously held by cinematographer Donald A. Morgan.

Morgan was also nominated this year for his work across sitcoms The Upshaws, The Conners and Last Man Standing, but failed to win in his category.

RuPaul attends the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards at L.A. LIVE on September 19, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)
RuPaul attends the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards at L.A. LIVE on September 19, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)
Rich Fury via Getty Images

Accepting the award from athletes Allyson Felix and Jessica Long at the in-person ceremony, which was held in Los Angeles after last year’s virtual awards show, the legendary entertainer took the stage in an all-black suit.

“For you kids out there watching, you have a tribe that is waiting for you,” he said onstage while flanked by co-host and co-producer Michelle Visage, as well as recent contestants Symone and Gottmik. “We are waiting for you. Come home to Mama Ru.”

In the category, Drag Race beat The Amazing Race, Nailed It!, Top Chef and The Voice.

RuPaul, who serves as both host and producer on the long-running show, already picked up the award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program for a sixth consecutive time at the Creative Arts Emmys last Sunday. He previously broke Survivor host Jeff Probst’s record in that field back in 2020.

Additionally, RuPaul won a second trophy at the Creative Arts ceremony for the Drag Race companion series Untucked, which he also produces, in the Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program category.

Drag Race also nabbed wins for directing, casting and picture editing for a structured reality competition show, bringing the franchise’s total wins to six this year.

First launched back in 2009, Drag Race has become a full-fledged global phenomenon, recently wrapping up its 13th season in April.

The series has also spawned multiple spinoffs, including the much-beloved All-Stars version. All-Stars recently crowned Kylie Sonique Love as the first transgender winner during the finale of the sixth season, which wrapped up earlier this month.

In recent years, Drag Race has also gone international with editions in the U.K., Thailand, Canada and Holland, as well as forthcoming programs based in Spain, Italy and the Philippines.

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