Parker Posey Thanks White Lotus Creator Mike White for “Believing In a Legend”—Herself—at Gotham TV Awards

Elisabeth Moss and her fellow actors from The Handmaid’s Tale accepted the inaugural Gotham TV Awards Ensemble Tribute, with the series having recently 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, ’cause I’m gonna 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 he said, ‘Sheryl Lee Ralph, I expect great things from you,’” she began. “And when we finished shooting the film, he looked at me again and he said, ‘I am sorry this industry has nothing more to offer you, because you deserve it.’ But even in his apology, he gave me something powerful. Mr. Poitier gave me a mirror of what greatness looked like. He gave me the blueprint, and he gave me permission to rise anyway.” Ralph later added, “I have worked. I have endured. I have overcome. And I never gave up. I kept going because Sidney Poitier believed in me.”

But perhaps the most resonant moment of the evening came from Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, who also received the Creator Tribute and 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 quite fancy or shiny compared to other trophies, like the Emmys or Oscars,” Hwang 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 to the next. And 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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