Parker Posey Thanks White Lotus Creator Mike White For “Believing in a Legend”—Herself—at Gotham TV Awards
Elisabeth Moss and her fellow creatives from The Handmaid’s Tale accepted the inaugural Gotham Television Awards Ensemble Tribute, shortly after the series wrapped its six-season run on Hulu. TV mogul David E. Kelley of Big Little Lies and Ally McBeal fame received the Visionary Tribute, while Dope Thief’s Brian Tyree Henry, honored with the Performer Tribute, made a convincing bid for himself as a future awards show host. “I want to apologize to the sign interpreter right now, because I’m going to say a lot of things that I just want to see you sign,” he said, eyeing the side of the stage. “Like ‘pussybow,’ ‘SKIMS’ and ‘circumcision.’”
Abbott Elementary’s Sheryl Lee Ralph brought the house down with the night’s lone standing ovation. While accepting the Sidney Poitier Icon Tribute from the Oscar winner’s daughter, Pamela, Ralph recalled being directed by Poitier himself in her first film, 1977’s A Piece of the Action. “Mr. Poitier looked at me and said, ‘Sheryl Lee Ralph, I expect great things from you,” she began. “I am sorry that the industry doesn’t have more to offer you, because you deserve it.’ He planted a seed in me that represented the great possibility. And because I believed in great possibility, I kept at it and never gave up. I kept honing my craft. I kept on keeping on. And I wish that he were here tonight to see the seed that he planted in me, and how it’s grown.”
Sheryl Lee Ralph accepts the Sidney Poitier Icon Tribute award from Pamela Poitier (L) during The Gotham TV Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on June 02, 2025 in New York City.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
But perhaps the most resonant moment of the evening came from Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, who began his speech by thanking everyone who had once rejected the now-beloved show—arguing that it could have only been made here and now by Netflix. “This trophy is not fancy or shiny compared to other trophies, such as the Emmys or Oscars,” Dong-hyuk said, gesturing to the Gothams’ modest slate gray monolith. Lest anyone think him ungrateful, he then turned that critique into a moving sentiment: “I think they’re trying to tell people not to be blinded by the glamour of your successful achievements, but to carry the weight of the responsibilities that come with this trophy as you move on. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Here’s the full list of winners at the second annual Gotham TV Awards:
Breakthrough Comedy Series: The Studio
Breakthrough Drama Series: The Pitt
Breakthrough Limited Series: Adolescence
Breakthrough Nonfiction Series: Social Studies
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Comedy Series: Julio Torres, Fantasmas
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Drama Series: Kathy Bates, Matlock
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Limited Series: Stephen Graham, Adolescence
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Comedy Series: Poorna Jagannathan, Deli Boys
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Drama Series: Ben Whishaw, Black Doves
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Limited Series: Owen Cooper, Adolescence, and Jenny Slate, Dying for Sex
Outstanding Original Film, Broadcast, or Streaming: Pee-wee as Himself
Outstanding Performance in an Original Film: Aaron Pierre, Rebel Ridge
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