--- description: Sterling K. Brown gave a moving speech after his historic Emmys win for best actor in a drama series. His microphone was cut off mid-speech. title: Sterling K. Brown Gave a Powerful Speech After Historic Emmys Win image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt99614a7cba7993f1/6988de358fd2ee14da358e61/gettyimages-848689678.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [awards](/tag/awards/) ## awards Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Sterling K. Brown Gave a Powerful Speech After His Historic Emmys Win  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Sep 18, 2017 4:05 AM CUT  Sterling K. Brown accepts Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for "This Is Us" onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California Sterling K. Brown accepts Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for "This Is Us" onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaKevin Winter—Getty Images  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Sep 18, 2017 4:05 AM CUT Sterling K. Brown became the first black man to win an Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama in 19 years on Sunday night. The [_This Is Us_](http://time.com/4501766/this-is-us-show-review/ "undefined") actor, who also won an Emmy [last year](http://time.com/4856805/emmy-nominations-snubs-surprises/ "undefined") for his turn on [_The People v. O.J. Simpson_](http://time.com/4283380/the-people-v-o-j-simpson-finale-proved-the-show-is-a-modern-masterpiece/ "undefined"), delivered a powerful speech. He also dropped some geeky _Mad Men_ references and honored Andre Braugher, the last black actor to win the award, before his microphone was cut off mid-speech. “Before anything like this happened to your boy, I was a fan,” Brown began. “First, last, and always a fan. So, my fellow nominees, I’m a fan. I love y’all. “This one right here, when I think about it, like, Walter White held this joint. Dick Whitman held this joint,” he said, admiring the golden Emmy in his hand and referencing the characters played by Bryan Cranston on _Breaking Bad_ and Jon Hamm on _Mad Men_. “I may have lost some of y’all, but you know. Google it. And 19 years ago, Detective Frank Pembleton won this joint, as impeccably played by Andre Braugher. I just want to say whether it’s at Stanford or on this stage, it is my supreme honor to follow in your footsteps.” Braugher, who currently stars on _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_, won the Best Actor in a Drama Emmy in 1998 for his role as Pembleton in _Homicide: Life on the Street._ Brown is just the fourth black actor to win the award. Bill Cosby won in 1966 and 1968 for _I Spy_, and James Earl Jones took home the statue in 1991 for _Gabriel’s Fire_. > [](https://twitter.com/jnsanchez/status/909612232044158976) Brown went on to honor his co-stars, Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Justin Hartley and Chrissy Metz, who play his adoptive family on _This Is Us_. “You are the best white TV family that a brother has ever had,” he said. “Better than [Mr. Drummond](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List%5Fof%5FDiff%27rent%5FStrokes%5Fcharacters "undefined"). Better than them white folks that raised Webster. I love you.” He then turned to his TV wife: “Susan Kelechi Watson, it is my pleasure to rep black love with you sister. Let’s keep doing it like [Martin and Gina](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103488/?ref%5F=ttfc%5Ffc%5Ftt "undefined").” He then thanked the actor who plays his biological father on the show, Ron Cephas Jones. “You just have to show up, and the work is already there, brother.” Brown began to go on about the writers, producers and directors of the show when the band started playing. He tried to keep talking but his microphone was cut off. Brown did get a chance to share the end of his speech with the press backstage. He thanked _This Is Us_ creator Dan Fogelman, who he said is “trying to make \[America\] the best it’s ever been.” And finally, he thanked his wife and two sons. “They cut me off before I got to thank my wife, man,” he said, before sharing these words with her: “You make my life worth living.” > [](https://twitter.com/Variety/status/909621095539531776) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4945718/sterling-k-brown-emmys-speech/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4945718/sterling-k-brown-emmys-speech/"},"headline":"Sterling K. Brown Gave a Powerful Speech After His Historic Emmys Win","datePublished":"2017-09-18T04:05:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T17:28:02.869Z","description":"Sterling K. Brown gave a moving speech after his historic Emmys win for best actor in a drama series. 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