Niecy Nash-Betts delivered a rousing speech while accepting the award for best supporting actress in a limited series for her work in "Dahmer."
Gracing the stage in a black gown, tears streaming down her face, Nash held her new statue before shouting, "I'm a winner, baby!"
"Thank you to the Most High for this divine moment. Thank you, Ryan Murphy, for seeing me. Evan Peters, I love you. Netflix, every single person who voted for me, thank you! My better half, who picked me up when I was gutted from this work, thank you!"
After shouting out her wife Jessica Betts, as well as her "Dahmer" creator and co-star, Nash showed some love to another V.I.P. in her life: Herself.
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"You know who I want to thank, I want to thank me for believing in me and doing what they said I could not do," she said. "And I want to say to myself in front of all you beautiful people, 'Go on girl with your bad self. You did that!'"
The audience erupted in applause and laughter. Then, Nash shifted to a more serious note, referencing “Dahmer” character Glenda Cleveland, who alerted the authorities to serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, and Black women lost to police violence.
"Finally, I accept this award on behalf of every Black and brown woman who has gone unheard yet over-policed, like Glenda Cleveland, like Sandra Bland, like Breonna Taylor," she said.
After receiving a standing ovation from several fellow stars in the audience, Nash concluded her acceptance speech saying that it's her job as an artist to "speak truth to power."
"And, baby, I'm going to do it 'til the day I die," she said, before speaking directly to her mother cheering her on from the audience. "Momma, I won!"
On social media, fans are already raving about Nash-Betts' moment at the mic, with one person writing on X, "Niecy Nash giving a masterclass on how to make the most out of an #Emmys acceptance speech."
Another wrote, "Niecy Nash-Betts is finally an Emmy winner after 5 nominations and she gave one of the best speeches in #Emmys history!"
"Niecy Nash’s speech brought tears to my eyes. An instant classic," another shared.
Others were already quoting her fierce moment giving herself some credit, writing, "niecy nash to niecy nash: 'you did that.'"
One person shared, "I need Niecy Nash-Betts acceptance speech read to me every single morning!!!!" with the hashtag #Emmys.
In a conversation with reporters after her Emmy win, Nash explained why the award made her feel "fully seen" as an artist.
"I was known for a long time in this town as a comedic actress only and I really wanted to be able to prove to my peers and my industry that I'm not a one-trick pony," she said. "I think tonight solidified that."
When asked why she took a moment to acknowledge her own work, Nash responded, "I'm the only one who knows what it cost me."
"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 divorce on camera and still have to pull up and show out."
She continued, "So, I'm proud of myself. I'm proud I did something that people said I could not do because I believed in me and sometimes people don't believe in themselves."
Nash wants her speech to be a "delicious" invitation for people to believe in themselves.
"Sometimes you have to encourage what? Yourself," she said. "And that's why it's not called mama-esteem, them-esteem, us-esteem, it's called self esteem because nobody has to believe it, but you."
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
