By Ayomide Otitoju
Two actresses of Nigerian descent, Ayo Edebiri and Joy Sunday, have been nominated for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, further highlighting the growing global recognition of Nigerian talent in the television industry.
The nominees for the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards were announced on Wednesday, with Nigerian-American actress Ayo Edebiri receiving a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Sydney Adamu in The Bear.
The nomination marks another milestone in Edebiri’s Emmy journey. The actress, whose father is from Edo State, previously won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the same role. She also made history in an earlier awards season by becoming the first woman to receive acting and directing nominations in the comedy category in the same year following her directorial debut on The Bear with the episode Napkins.
Fellow Nigerian-American actress Joy Sunday also secured her first Primetime Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie category for her performance as Detective Jodie Plumb in HBO’s DTF St. Louis.
Born in Staten Island, New York, to Nigerian parents, Sunday is widely recognised for portraying Bianca Barclay in Netflix’s Wednesday. She has previously credited Nollywood films she watched while growing up for inspiring her acting career.
Edebiri and Sunday are the only performers with confirmed Nigerian heritage to receive acting nominations at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards, continuing the country’s increasing representation on the global awards stage.
Their nominations follow another milestone for Nigeria after filmmaker Joel Kachi Benson became the first Nigerian to win an Emmy in 2025, claiming the News and Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary for Madu.
This year’s Primetime Emmy nominations are led by The Pitt with 25 nominations, followed by Hacks with 24.
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on September 14, 2026, honouring outstanding television programming released between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026.
