Salli Richardson-Whitfield has become the first Black woman to receive two Emmy nominations for directing in a drama series in the same year, per deadline.com.
The director and executive producer earned nods on Wednesday for her work on HBO’s period drama The Gilded Age and the sci-fi series Task.
Richardson-Whitfield was nominated for the The Gilded Age episode “My Mind Is Made Up” and the Task episode “Out Beyond Ideas Of Wrongdoing And Rightdoing, There Is A River.”
This achievement builds on her 2024 nomination for the Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty episode “Beat LA,” which made her the first Black woman to be nominated in the drama directing category. She also received an Outstanding Drama Series nomination that year as an executive producer on The Gilded Age.
The director has credited filmmaker Ava DuVernay with encouraging her to move behind the camera. While starring in DuVernay’s 2010 indie film I Will Follow, Richardson-Whitfield was told she had a director’s instincts. She subsequently approached the producers of the Syfy series Eureka, on which she was starring, and was given the opportunity to direct an episode in 2011. She has since directed episodes of Queen Sugar, See, Dear White People and American Gods.
In a statement, Richardson-Whitfield expressed her gratitude to the Television Academy and said she hopes the recognition “helps widen the path for the talented storytellers who will come after.”
The 2026 Emmy nominations come at a time when on-screen diversity has hit an 11-year low, according to a related report, making Richardson-Whitfield’s historic achievement particularly significant within the industry.
•Featured image: Salli Richardson Whitfield; ‘The Gilded Age’ and ‘Task’
HBO/Rowan Daly