Viola Davis responds to Nancy Lee Grahn's criticism of her Emmys acceptance speech

Just a few weeks ago, Viola Davis made history at the Emmys.

Oct 1, 2015

Just a few weeks ago, Viola Davis made history at the Emmys. During her powerful acceptance speech, she touched on what it means to have diverse roles and opportunities for minorities in Hollywood, and apparently, that speech didn’t sit well with everyone who heard it.

General Hospital‘s Nancy Lee Grahn took to Twitter to criticize the speech, saying that the Emmys were not a “venue for racial opportunity.” Grahn even added in one tweet that Davis should’ve let How to Get Away With Murder producer Shonda Rhimes write her speech.

In an interview with the New York Times, Davis has since responded by saying, “If there has been any backlash, it’s that all people want to feel included in a speech.”

“I know there has been some backlash with an actress who didn’t feel she was included,” she continued. She also added, when asked if she was specifically speaking about Grahn’s controversial remarks, “Yes, I don’t know that I want to say more about that.”

For her part, Grahn sent a series of tweets to follow up her initial criticism, apologizing profusely to anyone she offended.

https://twitter.com/NancyLeeGrahn/status/645834023458045954

https://twitter.com/NancyLeeGrahn/status/645848478971654145

https://twitter.com/NancyLeeGrahn/status/645858584283230208