Uzo Aduba won her second straight Emmy for her work as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black at tonight’s awards. (She won last year as a guest actress; she was upgraded to a supporting actress this year.) Her victory will be hard to forget: she delivered an incredible acceptance speech, one colored by jubilance, gratefulness, and raw emotion.
Aduba thanked her fellow cast members and crew, the show’s corporate parents at Netflix, her personal team, and her family. She was racing to get through all of the names on her list, but it didn’t sound like she was worried about playing off; instead, it was as if she was trying to get off the stage before being completely overcome. When she spoke to her sister watching from the crowd and thanked her for her friendship, it was a moment that resonated with anyone who’s ever felt overwhelming love and pride in a sibling. If Aduba keeps giving speeches like this, viewers will be happy if she dominates this category for years to come.