Michaela Coel Wins Historic Emmy For ‘I May Destroy You’

Michaela Coel made history by becoming the first Black woman to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her series, ‘I May Destroy You’.

One of the standout winners at the 2021 Emmy Awards the 33-year-old actress beat out Laura Donney (WandaVision), Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit), Chuck Hayward and Peter Cameron (WandaVision), Brad Ingelsby (Mare of Easttown) and Jac Schaeffer (WandaVision) for the award.

Based partly on Coel’s own experiences, ‘I May Destroy You’ explores the realities of sexual assault, trauma, power and consent.

“Write the tale that scares you, that makes you feel uncertain, that makes you feel uncomfortable. I dare you,” she said in her acceptance speech.

“In a world that entices us to browse through the lives of others to help us better determine how we feel about ourselves, and to in turn feel the need to be constantly visible, for visibility these days seems to somehow equate to success — do not be afraid to disappear from it, from us for a while, and see what comes to you in the silence,” she added.

She also dedicated the award to “every single survivor of sexual assault”.

In what must feel like a victory lap Cole’s Emmy adds on to her multiple wins at the BAFTA awards, the Peabody Award, and the Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Drama for the series, among other accolades.