Jennifer Coolidge's iconic Emmy award acceptance speech is going viral

Awards season is officially upon us, with last night's Emmys following on from the success of the 2024 Golden Globes and the Critics' Choice Awards. And to say the past week of ceremonies has been action-packed would be an understatement. 

Yes, from that Selena Gomez-Taylor Swift conversation and Jo Koy's "sexist" Barbie joke, to an impromptu Suits reunion and Ryan Gosling's words about Eva Mendes, there have been a lot of viral moments to discuss.

The most recent of these was of course Jennifer Coolidge's big win at the delayed 75th annual Emmy Awards last night, with her acceptance speech going viral.

The 62-year-old picked up the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series gong for her role of Tanya McQuoid in The White Lotus season two, beating out co-stars Aubrey Plaza, Meghann Fahy, Sabrina Impacciatore, and Simona Tabasco, who were also nominated in the same category. 

And as Coolidge took to the stage to receive the prestigious award - her second Emmy win for the HBO show, she delivered the most iconic of speeches, from thanking "the evil gays" that were her co-stars and having to put her award on the floor due to "not having the strength", to promising to speed up and joking about getting the hook last year.

"Mike White, thank you for giving me this opportunity to play this incredible character," she said of The White Lotus' creator. "And he says I’m definitely dead, so I’m going along with it."

"One more thing," she concluded as she was running out of time. "I had a little dream in my little town, and everyone said it was impractical, but it happened. So, don't give up on your dream."

This is not Jennifer Coolidge's first viral speech, with the actress making waves at last year's Golden Globes too.

"I just want you all to know that I had such big dreams and expectations as a younger person," she told the audience last year. "But what happens is they get fizzled out by life or whatever, and you know I thought I was going to be Queen of Monaco even though someone else did it. But you know, I had these giant ideas. And then you get older and shit’s going to happen. And I just want to say, Mike White, you have given me hope. You’ve given me a new beginning. Even if this is the end, because you did kill me off, but even if this is the end, you have changed my life in a million different ways. 

"My neighbours are speaking to me and things like that," she continued. "I mean it, I was never invited to one party on my hill, and now everyone’s inviting me!" 

Like we needed a reason to love Jennifer Coolidge more!

We will continue to update this story.