Back in 1987, Jackée Harry became the first Black woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the sitcom 227. The show was a huge hit at the time and looking back, Harry said the win did absolutely go to her head.
Harry appeared on the popular interview show VladTV and was asked about her historic win. “How did your world change when you won that primetime emmy?” the interviewer Shawn Prez asked. “Did the check go up? Did all kinds of roles and scripts start getting thrown at you?”
In typical Harry fashion, she said “the check went up, but the check was going up anyway. It was fabulous. I was having a ball. I was not unhappy ever making a lot of money. It’s much better having money than not.”
The award, she said, did change everything, with more roles being offered and movie scripts coming her way, but “I just did them. And my ego got out of control for about three years. I wasn’t mean or anything but I had an air of superiority.”
Look, it seems like it would be hard not to be like that after you win an Emmy. I’m like that sometimes and I have zero Emmys. So I bet it’s hard. It’s always refreshing to see someone of stature admit they have faults.
Harry added that she was aware of her ego issue and “I fought it. And I still do. But sometimes ego can crawl right up your neck.” Sometimes, she said, she has to take a moment to collect herself or else she’ll start acting like she’s better than everyone. Who admits that?! I love this woman.
Here she is winning that Emmy, where the announcer unsurprisingly calls her Jackie.
Absolutely adorable. And she did that speech without a hint of ego.