‘It feels like they’re making fun of us’: Students blast Emmys on Latinx representation

Oscar Isaac was the only Latino nominee at this year’s Emmys. Although the Academy gave increased nominations to the Black and Asian communities, Latinx actors such as Selena Gomez, who stars in “Only Murders in the Building,” got snubbed. Both of Gomez’s costars, Steve Martin and Martin Short, went on to receive nominations in the lead actor category.

The lack of representation could be due to a lack of Latinx media overall. Filmmaker Lorena Gordon talked about her frustration.

LORENA GORDON: It’s like whenever there is a show, right, it either gets like canceled or it doesn’t get renewed. So there is like a bigger problem, I think, of the community supporting the community, you know, and letting the shows kind of have a life. So far, they’ve been kind of short-lived, all the shows that star Latinx cast and what not, and you’re seeing all these other shows, right?That they have besides their own community—like you were talking about the Asian community and the African-American community. Yeah, they go and support their communities, but they also get the support of like us and other communities. So it’s like if we’re not supporting, supporting our own content, then no one is going to support it.

The lack of Latinx representation at the awards show might be part of a larger problem, though. While there are a number of Latinx shows out there, the community is often reflected in the same way. USC students discussed the misrepresentation of Latinx characters in popular TV and film.

GABRIEL BOTELLO: Anytime we are represented, it’s about stories like, I mean, like it’s in stories about like gangs and like, you know, like drug, like “Narcos” is like a really good example of like a show that, like, is out there right now. I don’t know—it feels a little weird. It feels like they’re making fun of us.

ZOE HOSLEY: It’s not to say that, like, Asian representation or Black representation isn’t equally as vital, but I think like it’s been such an issue, especially with like Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate. And because there’s no like movement, so on. So for like Latinos and Latinas like representation or just like racism in general towards them, that it’s like—I think that probably has to do with it. That there isn’t a movement, so there’s no reason to be like, “Oh no, we have to get this together.”

This brings a sobering start to Latinx Heritage Month, which begins tomorrow September 15. A lack of Latinx representation at the Emmys may be due to a lack of representation in TV. But this month is a time to reflect on the idea that minority groups are often only represented because they’re the subject of a trending political movement. The Latinx community might not be at the center of attention in the media, but actors still deserve fair representation at award shows.