“You know, there are some days when I myself think I’m overrated… but not today!” Meryl Streep declared while accepting her Emmy in 2004.

The 8 most unforgettable Emmys acceptance speeches

“You know, there are some days when I myself think I’m overrated… but not today!” Meryl Streep declared while accepting her Emmy in 2004.

By Brianna Zigler

September 15, 2026 1:45 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Alan Alda at the 31st Primetime Emmy Awards; Sally Field at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards; Jackée Harry at the 39th Primetime Emmy Awards. Credit:

Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times via Getty; Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Nothing is more exciting than winning an Emmy — except perhaps the question of just *what* the winners are going to say when they get up on that stage.

Awards acceptance speeches can make you cry, laugh, roll your eyes, or look on in utter bewilderment, but the best speeches are the ones that you don’t forget. From Sally Field taking a political stance in front of the world in 2007 and Alan Alda cartwheeling in the aisle in 1979, to Julia Louis-Dreyfus accepting her award as the character that she was winning for, some speeches are as legendary as the performances that prompted them.

Ahead, ** looks back on eight iconic Emmys acceptance speeches that we’ll always remember.

Sally Field during the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 16, 2007.

John Shearer/WireImage

Sally Field has won four Primetime Emmys, most recently for the Netflix film *Remarkably Bright Creatures*. But it was when she nabbed an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series win for her performance on *Brothers & Sisters* that she gave the audience a message they wouldn’t forget.

During the 2007 ceremony, Field took to the stage to accept her award — only to be cut off after launching into an emotional diatribe about the war in Iraq. “And especially the mothers who stand with an open heart and wait,” Field said. “Wait for their children to come home. From danger. From harm’s way. And from war… I am proud to be one of those women. And let’s face it, if mothers ruled the world, there would be no…” It was at this point that her speech was cut off, so audiences at home could not hear the rest.

Until after the fact, Field had no idea that she had been censored. “No, I didn’t know I had been bleeped. You know, the whole thing was sort of a surreal experience,” she told Diane Sawyer on *Good Morning America.*

Field had been cut off right as she was about to say “godd---.” “I made the mistake of putting a God in front of the damned,” she told Sawyer. “But basically, I feel if anything on Earth God would damn, it would be war. But I guess for whatever reason, they decided that God and d--- together was not acceptable.”

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep during the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 19, 2004.

M. Caulfield/WireImage

When Meryl Streep stepped onto the Emmys stage to accept the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for her performance in *Angels in America,* she kicked off her speech with an iconic line: “You know, there are some days when I myself think I’m overrated… but not today!”

After that cheeky starting note, Streep continued with a little good-natured ribbing aimed at her fellow nominees: “I’m sorry, I know Glenn [Close] is my friend, she’ll forgive me. Helen Mirren is an acting god, and nobody has put a performance on film better than Judy Davis in the Judy Garland story [2001’s *Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows*]. The only one of the group is Emma Thompson, who *will* hold a grudge for the rest of her life! But who cares?” She earned plenty of laughter before she turned to her thank-yous.

The speech is a top tier example of Streep’s class and humor; just another reason to love the iconic actress.

Viola Davis during the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 20, 2015.

Kevin Winter/Getty

In 2015, Viola Davis became the first Black woman to receive the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and she later reflected on her moving speech in a conversation with EW.

On stage, she had first recalled a Harriet Tubman quote: “‘In my mind, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me, over that line. But I can’t seem to get there no how. I can’t seem to get over that line.’”

“That was Harriet Tubman in the 1800s,” Davis continued during the ceremony. “And let me tell you something: The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there. So here’s to all the writers, the awesome people that are Ben Sherwood, Paul Lee, Peter Nowalk, Shonda Rhimes, people who have redefined what it means to be beautiful, to be sexy, to be a leading woman, to be Black.”

“When you’re at a deficit,” Davis told EW, on beginning with the Tubman quote, “you’re always wanting to cross over that line, to get to that glass ceiling, for your talent to be recognized, for your humanity to be recognized, that’s what you’re always fighting for. This is the first time an actress of color has ever won in that category. We just want to be seen on the same level as our Caucasian counterparts. That’s it. I felt like that quote right there was the perfect lead in.”

Lucille Ball

Don Adams and Lucille Ball at the 19th Primetime Emmy Awards on June 4, 1967.

Bettmann Archive/Getty

When legendary comedy star Lucille Ball accepted her third Emmy in 1967, she delivered a speech that surprised everyone with its depth of feeling and sincerity. At the time, it had been years since her iconic run on *I Love Lucy*, and she had won for her stint on *The Lucy Show*.

“I don’t have one thing prepared to say because I just didn’t expect it, it’s been a long, long time,” she began her speech, which prompted cheers from the audience.

“I have one or two,” she continued, her voice wavering slightly with emotion, referring to her past Emmy wins, “and they mean a lot. Because it’s given by you all, part of the industry. I don’t know, it just sort of... seemed away and apart of what we’re really doing. It left a long time ago, and I’m glad it’s back.”

“Last time I got it I thought they gave it to me because I had a baby,” she said, as the audience laughed. “And that baby is 14 years old now. I love my work. Thank you for giving me this for it.”

See all the celebrity looks at the 2026 Emmys

The biggest snubs and surprises from the 2026 Emmy nominations

Jackée Harry

Jackee Harry at the 39th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 20, 1987.

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty

In 1987, Jackée Harry became the first Black actress to win the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance as Sandra Clark on *227*, and the funny lady naturally gave a hilarious speech when she went up to accept her award. When the *Sister, Sister* star got to the microphone, she started off by saying, “Oh, this is faaabulous,” prompting laughter from the audience.

“Oh, thank you so much,” she continued. “Thank you, God. Thank you, Mama — even though you’re not here with me. Thank you, my dearest sister and best friend. Thank you, my brothers, Miles, Rufus, and Anthony. Thank you all my family, thank you, *227* cast, and especially Marla Gibbs for being so gracious to me.”

Harry continued to thank the producers and members of the show’s crew before cutting herself off and cheekily musing, “I wonder if I get paid more money for this.” On the heels of more delighted laughter from the audience, she ended on an emphatic “THANK YOU!”

Sheryl Lee Ralph

Sheryl Lee Ralph at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 12, 2022.

Michael Buckner/Getty

*Abbott Elementary *star Sheryl Lee Ralph followed in Jackée Harry’s footsteps in 2022 by becoming the second Black woman to take home the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — a fact that Harry herself paid tribute to.

She took to social media following Ralph’s win to acknowledge their mutual milestone. “Winning my Emmy was a career highlight, but it was also a lonely experience,” she tweeted. “For 35 years I’ve been the only black woman to win Outstanding Supporting Actresses in a Comedy Series. But that all changes tonight… and it’s come full circle!”

She elaborated:  “The network originally wanted [Ralph] to play Sandra on *227*, but I got the part and won an Emmy for it. Now, Sheryl joins me as the 2nd black woman in this category and deservedly so!”

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

Like Harry, Ralph’s acceptance speech is also iconic, but even more emotional. Ralph first stood on stage holding her award, totally speechless and beaming, while the crowd gave her a standing ovation. She then belted out the Dianne Reeves song “Endangered Species”: “I am an endangered species / But I sing no victim’s song / I am a woman, I am an artist / And I know where my voice belongs.” The audience jumped back to their feet in response.

“To anyone who has ever, ever had a dream, and thought your dream wasn’t, wouldn’t, couldn’t come true, I am here to tell you that this is what believing looks like,” she declared. “This is what striving looks like. And don’t you ever, ever give up on you, because if you get a Quinta Brunson in your corner, if you get a husband like mine in your corner, if you get children like mine in your corner, and if you’ve got friends like everybody who voted for me, cheered for me, love me… thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Alan Alda at the 31st Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 9, 1979.

Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Though Alan Alda had previously won an acting Emmy for his work on *M*A*S*H,* he made the acceptance of his writing award much more memorable when he took to the stage in 1979. After getting up from his seat, the actor literally *cartwheeled* in the aisle before getting up on stage.

He then went on to give a surprisingly touching speech about his writing aspirations. “The reason I was so exuberant a second ago, is because it has been many years since I’ve been trying to be good at being a writer,” he began. “Since I was a little kid. As a matter of fact, I wanted to be a writer from the time I was eight years old, and I wanted to be an actor from the time I was nine. So it’s been a very long time. And this really, really, pleases me enormously, and encourages me enormously.”

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Louis-Dreyfus during the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 22, 2013.

Michael Tran/FilmMagic

For her second Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series win for *Veep* — her fourth Primetime Emmy overall — Julia Louis-Dreyfus memorably recruited her costar Tony Hale to help give her speech. Both appeared on stage in character as VP Selina Meyer and her servile assistant, Gary Walsh.

“She called me that morning and she’s like, ‘I want you to carry my bag if I win,’” Hale told EW in 2024. “And my immediate thought was, ‘Oh s---, you are going to win, and I have to show up and do this.’”

Hale recalled that the two of them “talked a little bit about bits if it does happen,” but mostly just committed to leaning on their natural chemistry. “I remember that moment, when I heard her name, and I was like, ‘Game on,’” he said.

When the two got on stage, Hale was full Gary Walsh. He held Louis-Dreyfus’ clutch while nervously darting his eyes around at the audience and reminded her to thank her family, and when she went on to thank the cast, she conspicuously left him out. Then, when the camera cut to fellow *Veep* star Anna Chlumsky, she wasn’t paying attention to the speech; instead, she was texting on her phone, just like her character Amy Brookheimer.

However, Hale insisted that Chlumsky was not part of the original plan. “We did not plan that. So that was full Anna Chlumsky bringing it,” he revealed.

- Awards Shows & Events

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Emmys”