Zendaya Dedicates History-Making Emmys Speech to Those Who’ve Been Affected by Addiction
Zendaya has made history again, becoming the first Black woman to win an Emmy for lead actress in a drama series twice, and the youngest woman to win two Emmys in the same category, ever. While accepting her award for her performance as Rue in Euphoria, the 26-year-old star used her speech to share a poignant message to those who see themselves or someone they love in her character, a recovering teen drug addict.
Zendaya devoted the first half of her speech to thanking her family, friends, and Euphoria team for helping her accomplish the feat. (No, she did not give her boyfriend Tom Holland a direct shoutout, choosing instead to just acknowledge her loved ones all together.) But the standout part her speech was her message to those suffering from addiction or helping someone else who is struggling through it. “My greatest wish for Euphoria is that it could help heal people,” she started, adding that to those who have shared their own experiences with her, “I’m so grateful for your stories, and I carry them with me, and I carry them with her.”
Read and watch Zendaya’s full speech below:
Oh wow! Hello! This means so much. Thank you, thank you so much. Wow. To all the incredible actresses in this category, I’m so honored to be beside you. Thank you to the incredible, incredible cast and crew of Euphoria for making such a safe space to make this very difficult show. I love you all so much. Thank you to the Academy. Thank you to my friends and family, some of which are here tonight. Thank you to Sam [Levinson] for sharing Rue with me. Thank you for believing in me even in moments where I didn’t believe in myself and then lastly, I just want to say you know, my greatest wish for Euphoria was that it could help heal people. I just want to say thank you to everyone who has shared their story with me. I want you to know that anyone who has loved a Rue or feels like they are a Rue, I want you to know I’m so grateful for your stories and I carry them with me, and I carry them with her. So thank you so much.
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.