HBO’s “Euphoria” star Zendaya received her second Emmy and made history once again. TThe 74th Primetime Emmy Awards were on Sept. 12, hosted by comedian Kenan Thompson where Zendaya won Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series for “Euphoria” as Rue Bennet, making her the youngest woman of color to win in this category twice. Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Linney and Melanie Lynskey were the other nominees for the category. 

“Euphoria’s” season two premiered on Jan. 9 of this year. The drama TV series continued to follow the teenagers in the town, East Highland, as they navigate abuse, drugs, sex, sexuality, relationships and violence. Some characters’ stories were brought into focus while other characters were introduced for the first time.

“Euphoria” earned a total of 25 Emmy nominations and nine Emmy awards since 2020 including 16 nominations and six Emmys for 2022. The hit show won Emmys this season for Outstanding Choreography for Scripted Programming, Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series, Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic). 

Zendaya’s “Euphoria” costar, Colman Domingo, won one of the six nominations. Costars Sydney Sweeney and Martha Kelly were also Emmy nominees. Sweeney was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series while Kelly was up for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama. 

Before her Emmys grand entrance, Zendaya shared an Instagram post of her elegant look for the special night. She was styled by Law Roach; a Valentino vintage piece was the inspiration behind her black Maison Valentino gown. It redefined an iconic piece from being conveyed to the contemporary and was specifically designed after a Valentino Fall-Winter 1987/1998 red dress. The glamorous gown was made of satin and the strapless peplum bodice had a bow. Pockets were included on the skirt with a train. A black hair bow and a Bulgari white gold necklace with over 17 carats also complemented Zendaya’s look. 

During a wave of gratitude, Zendaya clarified that she was honored to be in the same category as  the other actresses in the beginning of her speech. She thanked the Television Academy for the award, along with the cast and crew of Euphoria for allowing her to feel safe in portraying a vulnerable character. Zendaya also thanked her family and friends and the creator of “Euphoria,” Sam Levinson.“Thank you for believing in me and even in moments when I didn’t believe in myself,” she said standing on stage with her golden statuette.

Zendaya proceeded with sincerity, saying, “My greatest wish for Euphoria was that it could help heal people and I just want to say thank you to everyone who has shared their story with me. I want you to know that anyone who has loved a Rue or feels like they are Rue, I want you to know that I’m so grateful for your stories and I carry them with me and I carry them with her. So thank you so much.”

“Euphoria’s” official Twitter announced its renewal of season three on Feb. 4 of this year. The official release date hasn’t been set and the start of film production is unknown. See Zendaya’s full Emmy acceptance speech here.