Anthony Behar

Bowen Yang scores Emmy nomination and makes history in the process

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated Jul 15, 2021 9:02 AM ET

The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards unveiled its nomination field Tuesday (July 13), and Bowen Yang's nod for his work on Saturday Night Live under the supporting actor in a comedy series category made history.

The 30-year-old became the first male Chinese American to earn a nomination in that particular category, and he broke a separate SNL-specific barrier:

Bowen Yang making history as the first featured player to be nominated for an Emmy ✨

CONGRATS! pic.twitter.com/KY1GWxgNbh
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) July 13, 2021

Yang is a featured player because he joined the cast in 2019—he is also the storied series' first-ever Asian cast member—and the term is used for all cast members still in the first two seasons of their contracts.

Alongside Yang up for supporting actor in a comedy series are Kenan Thompson (SNL), Carl Clemons-Hopkins (Hacks), Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso), Brendan Hunt (Ted Lasso), Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso), Paul Reiser (The Kominsky Method) and Jeremy Swift (Ted Lasso).

Overall, HBO and HBO Max landed 130 total nominations with Netflix right behind at 129 (h/t Variety).

Every nominee can be seen here.

The awards ceremony will broadcast live Sept. 19, hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, from Microsoft Theater beginning at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.

Megan Armstrong

Megan Armstrong (@megankarmstrong) is a writer whose work has appeared in places such as Billboard, GQ, Esquire, Bleacher Report, Uproxx, and others. Megan has also produced various podcasts and hosted a daily radio show at Mizzou. She grew up obsessed with sports — impressing adults by memorizing NFL statistics as a kindergartner — and grew into an obsession with music

More must-reads: