Emily Fritz | a&e editor
Aside from this year’s anthems and actors being decorated, the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) on Sept. 11 and the 2024 Emmys on Sept. 15 gave a broader platform to the celebrities who chose to use it.
Just a day after her long anticipated presidential endorsement, Taylor Swift doubled down on voter registration during her acceptance of ‘Video of the Year.’
“The fact that this is a fan-voted award, and you voted for this, I appreciate it so much,” Swift said. “And if you are over 18, please register to vote for something else that’s very important coming up: the 2024 presidential election.”
Prior to the televised awards show, Swift took to her Instagram account to encourage fans to take action, posting a link to register for the upcoming election. Within 24 hours, 406,000 users clicked on the link, garnering 27,000 new voter registrations and 80,000 others who verified their voting status.
As an international superstar, Swift has a cult following that will survive a bold and explicit commentary about the general election. Other artists chose to communicate their thoughts through other mediums.
At the Emmy’s red carpet, “Reservation Dogs” star D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai appeared in a full black ensemble and red handprints painted over his mouth. The symbol has become a trademark for Indigenous advocacy; the third leading cause of death for Native women is murder, according to the Urban Indian Health Institute.
“I did this for those who ain’t here, not 4 me, not 4 y’all,” the actor wrote on Instagram.
Rising star Chappell Roan also took to the stage, dedicating her air time to the LGBTQIA+ community during her acceptance of ‘Best New Artist.’
“I dedicate this to all the drag artists who inspired me. And I dedicate this to queer and trans people that fuel pop all around,” Roan said. “For all the queer kids in the Midwest, [if you are] watching right now, I see you, I understand you, because I’m one of you. And don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t be exactly who you want to be.”
Roan was also spotted on the red carpet having a verbal altercation with paparazzi earlier in the evening. After being told to “Shut the [expletive] up,” she retaliated.
“This is quite overwhelming and quite scary,” she later told Entertainment Tonight. “I think for someone who gets a lot of anxiety around people yelling at you … the carpet is horrifying, and I yelled back. You don’t get to yell at me like that.”
Other celebrities made waves through historic wins. “Shōgun” actress Anna Sawai accomplished a major milestone as the first Asian person to win the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Lead actor Hiroyuki Sanada also made history as the first Japanese actor to win the Emmy for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
“Shōgun” had set history on its own terms, being nominated for 25 awards and taking home 18 – the most in a single season.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” star Lily Gladstone also made history as one of the first two Indigenous women ever nominated for an Emmy alongside “True Detective: Night Country” Kali Reis – Gladstone for best supporting actress in a limited anthology series and Reis for outstanding supporting actress in a limited anthology series.
In a cross disciplinary move, Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles received her bronze medal following a controversial decision in Paris to strip her of her award. To recognize her, rapper Flavor Flav presented the gymnast with a bronze clock before the duo presented Taylor Swift with one of her 30 career VMA awards, giving her the most VMA wins in the music industry.