In one of the most heartwarming, and unexpected, moments of the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, Jeff Hiller took home the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Joel in HBO’s Somebody Somewhere. And in true Hiller fashion, his acceptance speech was equal parts heartfelt, hilarious, and quietly revolutionary.
“I feel like I’m going to cry, because for the past 25 years I have been like, ‘World, I want to be an actor!’ And the world was like, ‘Maybe computers,’” Hiller joked, instantly winning over both the Emmy audience and viewers at home.
The crowd laughed, but the emotion was real. Hiller, a longtime character actor and queer performer, has spent years on the periphery of Hollywood, appearing in cult favorites like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, American Horror Story: NYC, and Nightcap, but never quite in the spotlight. That changed with Somebody Somewhere, a show that has quietly become one of the most beloved, and deeply queer, comedies on television.
“Thank you to HBO for putting a show about sweaty middle-aged people on the same network as the sexy teens of Euphoria,” Hiller said to cheers, acknowledging both the surreal nature of his win and the striking contrast between his show’s quiet emotional realism and the high-gloss drama of some of its network peers.
He went on to thank the show’s creators, Mark and Jay Duplass, “for writing a show of connection and love in this time when compassion is seen as a weakness.” But the most touching part of the speech came when he turned to his co-star and real-life friend, Bridget Everett. “Most of all, thank you, Bridget Everett. You changed my life and you told so many people to believe in themselves, and they do.”
The HBO comedy, created by Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, follows Sam (played by Everett), a Kansan returning to her hometown in the wake of personal loss, and her deepening friendship with Joel, a gay choir director played by Hiller. The show has been praised for its authentic depiction of queer life in small-town America, and for portraying queer friendship and spirituality with nuance, empathy, and humor.
Hiller’s win was considered a surprise by many pundits. He triumphed over an A-list lineup of nominees including last year’s winner Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear), Harrison Ford (Shrinking), Ike Barinholtz (The Studio), Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live), Michael Urie (Shrinking), and Colman Domingo (Four Seasons).
This Emmy marks Hiller’s first win and first-ever nomination. He was previously nominated for Best Supporting Performance at the 2022 Independent Spirit Awards and was part of the Somebody Somewhere team that won a Peabody Award that same year.
But beyond the accolades, Hiller’s win represents something rare in mainstream television: the honoring of soft, queer masculinity in middle age, not as comic relief or a sidekick stereotype, but as a fully developed, beloved character. Joel, a churchgoing gay man who finds joy in community, song, and the messy beauty of friendship, is a quietly revolutionary figure.
And thank god for that.
