Beyoncé Fans Are Criticising The Emmys After A Picture Of The Mostly White Audience Was Posted On Twitter

    "This is chilling. Almost disgusting."

    Ben Henry
    by Ben Henry

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Fans of Beyoncé and critics of the Emmys are joining forces to voice their opinion after a picture of Sunday's mostly white audience made its way to Twitter.

    Amy Sussman / WireImage

    The screenshot, posted during the ceremony, highlighted a serious lack of diversity from the front to the back row. As one person on Twitter put it: "That is the whitest picture I've ever seen."

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    Now, the picture has seeped into stan Twitter, where Beyoncé fans are suggesting a lack of diversity is one of the reasons why the singer and her Netflix documentary Homecoming was snubbed in the five categories it was nominated for.

    Larry Busacca / Getty Images

    One award in particular — Outstanding Variety Special — caused the most controversy, as James Corden took home the Emmy for his Carpool Karaoke special with Paul McCartney.

    "Seeing this you can understand why Beyoncé did not win the Emmy," a fan account for the singer tweeted.

    BEYONCÉ NEWS @BeyonceHiveNews

    Seeing this you can understand why Beyonce did not win the Emmy.

    Reply Retweet Favorite

    One fan called the picture "really uncomfortable", while another tweet said: "This is chilling. Almost disgusting."

    Sandra Oh was also brought into the conversation, as one fan pointed out that the actor had been nominated for eight Emmy awards in her career but had yet to win one.

    8x emmy loser Sandra Oh @cikzu2

    Seeing this you can understand why Sandra Oh did not win the Emmy. https://t.co/MZOr05OLBc

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    Oh was nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category every year between 2005 and 2009 for Grey's Anatomy. In 2018, she was nominated for her leading role in Killing Eve, while this year she was nominated for both Killing Eve and Saturday Night Live.

    Inclusivity has been a central topic throughout the Emmys weekend, with RuPaul also facing criticism for a lack of diversity in the production team behind RuPaul's Drag Race.

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    Taking to the stage in the press room after picking up the Emmy for Outstanding Competition Program, RuPaul was asked point-blank about diversity on the show.

    Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

    "Looking at your team, I don't see a lot of diversity," writer Danielle Young said. "Do you feel like it's important for that to be represented behind the scenes as well for a show like yours that's so diverse?"

    RuPaul's answer proceeded to raise eyebrows, as he said: "Well, first of all, most of our show is black, gay, and drag queens. So check, check, and check. But we're pretty diverse. There are lots of different types of people here. Is it important? Absolutely."

    But, while diversity was debated on one hand, it was celebrated on the other. Billy Porter collected the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, making him the first openly gay black man to do so.

    Steve Granitz / WireImage

    Jharrel Jerome — who played Korey Wise in When They See Us — also became the first Afro Latino to win an Emmy for acting, as he scooped the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.

    Robyn Beck / AFP / Getty Images

    He also became the youngest person in history to win in that category.

    Other winners of the night, including Michelle Williams and Patricia Arquette, also used their speeches to highlight diversity and equality.

    Robyn Beck / AFP / Getty Images

    Williams, who won the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, spoke about the importance of equal pay for women, saying: "I see this as an acknowledgment of what is possible when a woman is trusted to discern her own needs, feels safe enough to voice her needs, and respected enough to be heard."

    Meanwhile, Arquette championed transgender rights while also honouring her sister Alexis, who died in 2016. Arquette said: "I'm in mourning, Alexis, and I will be the rest of my life for you until we change the world, until trans people are not persecuted."

    BuzzFeed has reached out to reps of the Emmys for comment.