Hannah Gadsby beats Beyoncé to Emmy for comedy special Nanette
Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby and a documentary about alleged sexual abuse by Michael Jackson won Emmy awards on Saturday while RuPaul was named best reality show host and Beyoncé went home empty-handed.
Gadsby picked up an Emmy for best writing for a variety special for her global standup sensation Nanette – which was picked up by Netflix in June 2018 – beating Beyoncé’s 2018 Coachella festival concert film Homecoming to the prize.
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Leaving Neverland, which features two adult men who say they were befriended by Jackson and sexually abused by him starting from when they were seven and 10 years old, was named best documentary at the ceremony in Los Angeles ahead of television’s main Emmy awards show next week.
The documentary, which aired earlier this year, 10 years after Jackson’s death, was met with outrage by his family and brought fresh scrutiny to the Thriller singer’s legacy.
Jackson’s family and his estate have denied the accounts given by the men, calling them a “rehash of dated and discredited allegations”.
Beyoncé went into Saturday’s ceremony with six Emmy nominations but was beaten in all categories.
James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke special with former Beatle Paul McCartney returning to his Liverpool hometown won over Homecoming and Gadsby’s Nanette for prerecorded variety special, while the filmed version of Bruce Springsteen’s acclaimed one-man Broadway show triumphed for variety special directing.
Long-running show The Simpsons won the Emmy for best animated series, while gay makeover series Queer Eye took home four awards.
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Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, the travel and food show hosted by US celebrity chef Bourdain who died by suicide in 2018, won two Emmys.
In other awards, drag queen RuPaul won his fourth Emmy as best reality show host for RuPaul’s Drag Race, and rock climbing film Free Solo, which won the best documentary Oscar this year, added seven Emmys to its honours.
The main Emmy awards will be handed out on 22 September in Los Angeles, with Game of Thrones and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel leading the race for best drama and best comedy series.