Culture

Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’ Lost To ‘Grease Live’ At The Emmys And The Internet Is Not Okay

"When will white men stop winning awards that belong to Beyoncé?"

by Matilda Dixon-Smith  19 September 2016

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Grab your bats, Beyhive: Beyoncé was just robbed by the American Television Academy. Bey’s stunning visual album, Lemonade, which premiered on HBO this year, was nominated for an Emmy this year in the category Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special (the award was for Bey and her collaborating director Khalil Joseph).

You’ll all remember that not only was Lemonade a cultural phenomenon the moment it hit our screens, it was also an extraordinarily complex, rich and compellingly directed piece of visual art. So, natch, we all thought Bey had this one in the bag: surely no one else was going to beat her out for the award that was rightfully hers?

Not so. Beyoncé and Khalil Joseph have just lost out to Thomas Kail and Alex Rudzinski for their taffeta nightmare, Grease Live! And, as you might expect, the internet is not happy.

 

Look, as I reported back when Grease Live! aired, it was actually a ~pretty good~ live TV musical. But ~pretty good~ is a phrase foreign to Beyoncé because she never produces anything less than excellent. So, you know.

It’s also worth noting that this is the FOURTH Emmy that Bey has been nominated for, and she still hasn’t won anything. Which begs the question: who at the Academy has it in for her and how do we destroy them?

The controversy deepens: before the ceremony began, there were rumours abounding that Beyoncé would make an appearance at the Emmys, so the Beyhive was on the lookout for a glimpse of their queen. Turns out, she was a no-show, and everyone’s furiously speculating that the Emmys leaked bogus information about a Bey appearance to lure her fans to the telecast.

Still, at the end of the day, an Emmy loss is just an Emmy loss when you’re Beyonce. Because, you know, you’re still Beyonce.