Why Shonda Rhimes Thought This Year's Emmys Were 'Embarrassing'

Rhimes tuned in to watch as Hollywood peers Lena Waithe, Donald Glover, Riz Ahmed and Sterling K. Brown made history during TV's biggest night.

"It's embarrassing, frankly," Rhimes told Vanity Fair of the bittersweet victories. "To me, it feels embarrassing that we are still in a place in which we still have to note these moments... I'm hoping that it's not a trend. I'm hoping that people don't feel satisfied because they saw a lot of people win, and then think that we're done."

On Sunday night, Lena Waithe became the first African-American woman to win Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for "Master of None;" Donald Glover became the first African-American man to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for "Atlanta," Riz Ahmed became the first South-Asian man to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for "The Night Of," and Sterling K. Brown became the first African-American man to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for "This Is Us" in almost 20 years.

Rhimes -- a triple nominee herself -- felt particularly proud of Waithe's win because the two ran into each other two days before the event.

"I had just seen [Lena] on Friday," Rhimes said. "She's so even-keeled and so grounded, and that episode was such an amazing episode of television."

Rhimes has yet to win an Emmy despite having created hits including "Grey's Anatomy," "Scandal" and "How to Get Away with Murder," which actually earned Viola Davis an Emmy in 2015, making her the first African-American woman to win the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.