Jennifer Coolidge left the Emmys with the award for best supporting actress in a drama series, but she didn’t forget to leave something in return for her LGBTQ+ fans. The White Lotus star had many people to thank in her acceptance speech over the weekend, including producers Mike White, Dave Bernad, Mike Kamine, and last but certainly not least, “the evil gays.” “I want to thank all the evil gays,” she said, directing the audience to applaud. Coolidge went viral last year after the release of the show’s second season for a hilarious moment in the final episode, where her character, Tanya McQuaid, is on a yacht with her newfound gay friends when she realizes that something sinister is afoot. “Please, these gays, they’re trying to murder me!” Tanya begs the yacht’s captain. “We’re all gay here,” he replies in the few English words he knows. The scene was censored in Russia upon its release, with streamer Amediateka changing the word “gay” to “men.” Other LGBTQ+ storylines in the show were also cut in the country. Coolidge, for her part, apparently holds no hard feelings for the “evil gays,” and values her place among the LGBTQ+ community. The actor previously told The Advocate Channel in a 2023 interview that she isn’t quite sure how she became an icon to queer people, but that she takes pride in the honor nonetheless. “I’m someone who tries very hard to get things right,” Coolidge said, adding, “There’s nothing slick about me. I don’t feel unattainable. … Maybe people like that I’m not, you know, even close to perfect.” Further proving her ties to the community, Coolidge’s win was enthusiastically celebrated by the queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race , who IndieWire editor Marcus Jones shared were the first to give the actor a standing ovation. As for Tanya’s fate, and her future in White Lotus , Coolidge noted in her speech that White said “I’m definitely dead, so I’m going along with it.” She concluded with a message to all her fans, LGBTQ+ or otherwise. “I had a little dream in my little town, and everyone said it was impractical and it was far-fetched, but it did happen after all. So, don’t give up on your dream,” she said.
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