Tramell Tillman has made history with his Primetime Emmy Award win for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
On 14 September, the actor was honoured for his acclaimed performance as Seth Milchick in Apple TV’s thriller Severance, beating co-stars Zach Cherry and John Turturro, as well as Walton Goggins and Jason Isaacs (The White Lotus) and James Marsden (Paradise).
With the win, Tillman becomes the first Black man – and the first openly Black gay man – to take home the award.
In his speech, Tillman quoted his mother – who he brought to the ceremony – saying: “You remember what you want to remember. You make time for what you want to make time for. Do the work, show up, and most importantly, for the love of God, don’t embarrass me in public!”
“My first acting coach was tough, y’all – but all great mothers are,” he added. “Mama, you were there for me when no one else was, and no one else would show up. Your living kindness stays with me, and this is for you.”
In an August cover interview with Variety, Tillman recalled the first time he came out to his mother, during a road trip to visit his grandmother for the holidays.
“Mom, I’m bisexual,” he told her. According to the magazine, she stayed laser-focused on the road, a flicker of surprise crossing her face, before breaking the silence with: “Well, how’s that going for you?”
“Some years later,” Tillman clarified to her that he actually identified as gay. She expressed concern about how it might affect his career, telling him: “I don’t want you to be blackballed. I don’t want you to be pigeonholed.”
Now, Tillman is an Emmy Award winner – one who has made history for both Black and LGBTQIA+ entertainers.
Alongside the second season of Severance, Tillman made his action-blockbuster debut this year in Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning, currently the eighth highest-grossing film of 2025.
He is also set to star opposite Natalie Portman and Mark Ruffalo in the rom-com Good Sex (2027), as well as the action film Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (TBA), alongside Mahershala Ali and John Cho.
You can watch Tramell Tillman’s acceptance speech at the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards here or below.
