The Painful Truth of Latinos at the 2025 Emmys
Diego Luna's snub for Lead Actor in a Drama Series at this year's Emmys sends a loud signal to Latino actors that nothing is guaranteed. Not even mainstream excellence.
In this episode, we dissect the 2025 Emmys and break down the shocking Diego Luna snub. How does the star of Disney's Andor, the most critically acclaimed Star Wars series ever made, get shut out completely?! We reveal how the Emmy voting process really works, and why there needs be more judges of color at the Emmys.
(6:24) – Why multicultural judges matter
(7:37) – The Latino impact of winning an Emmy
(19:38) – All the Latino Emmy snubs
Retro Quote of the Week ❞
“Before Star Wars, the only projects I’d get offered would be drug dealers.” - Diego Luna, on Hollywood type-casting and why meaningful roles still matter.
3 Uncomfortable Truths About Latinos and Award Shows Too Hard To Hear
From our latest episode: If you're Latino in entertainment, these insights might hurt, but not knowing them could cost you your career.
Truth 1: Excellence Alone Doesn't Guarantee Latino Recognition.
“What you're essentially saying by snubbing Diego Luna, is that even when we do show up, even if we do get a lead role, even if we do pierce the IP franchise of Star Wars, even if we do get every critic to say that this is the best show this year… even if you do all of that… you are still not going to be nominated.” - Rico on the frustrating realities Latino actors face in awards culture.
Truth 2: Representation in Voting is Everything
“There are more white people in the voting membership than there are people of color. It's reflective in the nomination results. When you see a result like Diego Luna, you ask yourself… “we know you saw it. We know you saw it. You know, it was good. So what made you say no?” - Rico on award show voting demographics.
Truth 3: The Media and Afro-Latino Framing is Still Complicated.
“Everything I read about Lisa Colón-Zayas is ‘first Latina, first Latina, first Latina.’ That’s what I read everywhere.”
— Mike Sargent on how Afro-Latino identity gets flattened in mainstream media.
The Playlist: The Latino Composers 🎧
Celebrate the Latino composers behind your favorite Emmy-nominated TV series:
🎧 Cristóbal Tapia de Veer – “Amor Fati (The White Lotus Theme)”
🎧 Carlos Rafael Rivera – “Dept. Q: Main Title”
🎧 Antonio Sánchez – “The Studio: Main Title”
The Screening Room: The Latina Writers 🎬
The Studio: “The Promotion” Ep. 1 (Apple TV+) - Dominican-American co-creator of The Studio, Frida Perez, co-wrote the nominated pilot epsiode “The Promotion”.
The Penguin: “A Great Or Little Thing” Ep. 8 (HBO Max) - Watch Mexican-American showrunner Lauren LeFranc’s Gotham. Emmy-nominated for producing and writing for a limited anthology series.
The Bear: Season 3 (Hulu) - Mexican-American co-showrunner Joanna Calo sharpens Season 3’s kitchen drama from chaos to deep introspection.
Links We’re Digging 🔗
5 Ways Malcolm-Jamal Warner Broke The Mold And Elevated Black Culture - (Forbes)
The Worst Emmys Snub Is Diego Luna for Andor - (Esquire)
‘The Porter’ Is a Rich Period Drama About Labor and Dignity - (New York Times)
Members-Only: Be In The Know 🍸
$8/month gets you full access to our members-only section:
Exclusive industry interviews
Premium film and TV analysis
Off-the-record commentary and live Q&As
Private IRL pop-up events, screenings, and mixers
This is our room. And it’s time the right people were in it.