Director Salli Richardson-Whitfield has again made Emmy history, becoming the first Black woman in Television Academy history to earn two drama series directing nominations in the same year. Announced on Wednesday, the nominations recognise her work on HBO's The Gilded Age and Task, adding to a milestone she first set in 2024 as the first Black woman nominated for directing in a drama series. The achievement underscores growing recognition for Black women behind the camera in prestige television.

Richardson-Whitfield was nominated for The Gilded Age episode "My Mind Is Made Up" and the Task episode "Out Beyond Ideas Of Wrongdoing And Rightdoing, There Is A River", and is also recognised as an executive producer on The Gilded Age. A former actor who starred on Syfy's Eureka, she credits director Ava DuVernay with prompting her move into directing in her 40s, first helming an episode of Eureka in 2011 before working on Queen Sugar and building a portfolio spanning See, Altered Carbon, American Gods and more. In a statement, she said she stood "on the shoulders of the incredible women who came before me" and hoped to widen the path for future storytellers.