Niecey Nash-Betts was applauded at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards for thanking herself in her acceptance speech. She later explained why.
The 2023 Emmy Awards took place on MLK day, and Nash-Betts secured her first-ever Emmy win in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie category for her role as Glenda Cleveland in Netflix’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2023).
She was also presented with the award by Abbott Elementary‘s Quinta Brunson and the legend Marla Gibbs (The Jeffersons).
Once the flummoxed actress approached the mic, she began her speech by thanking the ones who contributed to her “divine moment,” including God, her Monster co-star Evan Peters and her wife, Jessica Betts.
Lastly, the Emmy winner thanked herself as she should. The crowd went wild, applauding her for her confidence and truth.
“And you know who I want to thank,” the 53-year-old said. “I want to thank me for believing in me and doing what they said I could not do.”
Before ending her speech, the Reno 911 star added sass and pizzazz when she said, “And I want to say to myself in front of all you beautiful people. Gone girl with your bad self!”
A clip posted by Hollywood Unlocked showed the actress candidly explaining why she thanked herself in her acceptance speech.
“You know, I’m the only one who knows what it cost me,” Nash-Betts said. “I’m the only one who knows how many nights I cried because I couldn’t be seen for a certain type of role. I’m the one who knows what it’s like to go through [a] divorce on camera and still have to pull up and show out. And you still got to go home, and you have children and a whole life.”
The ex-Claws actress declared she was proud of herself for still killing it while facing life’s adversities that people didn’t see behind the cameras.
She continued, “…I believed in me, and sometimes people don’t believe in themselves, and I hope my speech was a delicious invitation for people to do just that. Believe in yourself and congratulate yourself!”
Nash-Betts received a standing ovation from the audience when she acknowledged the “unheard” and “overpoliced” Black and brown women.
“Like Glenda Cleveland (the character she portrayed in the Dahmer series), like Sandra Bland (a Texas woman found hanging in her jail cell), like Breonna Taylor (a Black woman who was fatally shot by a officer in her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment),” she said, earning standing ovations from stars like Issa Rae from Insecure and two Color Purple cast members, Taraji P. Henson (Shug Avery) and Colman Domingo (Albert “Mister” Johnson).
Niecy-Nash continued, “As an artist, my job is to speak truth to power, and baby, [I’m going to] do it till the day I die. Momma, I won!”
