'General Hospital' Star Slams Viola Davis' Emmy Speech
After Viola Davis made history on Sunday night at the Emmys by becoming the first black woman to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and gave an empowering speech about the lack of opportunities for women of color, one soap star took to Twitter to criticize.
“General Hospital” actress Nancy Lee Grahn slammed the “How to Get Away With Murder” star after the awards show ended.
“I wish I loved #ViolaDavis Speech, but I thought she should have let @shondarhimes write it. #Emmys,” she wrote.
Davis’ stirring speech got a standing ovation from the crowd inside the Microsoft Theater on Sunday.
“The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is simply opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there,” the “HTGAWM” actress said. “So here’s to all the writers, the awesome people — people who have redefined what it means to be beautiful, to be sexy, to be a leading woman, to be black.”
The soap star’s now-deleted tweet reads, “Im a f—ing actress for 40 yrs. None of us get respect or opportunity we deserve. Emmys not venue 4 racial opportunity. ALL women belittled.”
Grahn also criticized Davis for quoting Harriet Tubman during her acceptance speech.