If not for Quinta Brunson’s ABC comedy series “Abbott Elementary,” there would have been no Black winners at the 29th annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, which took place Sunday in Los Angeles. The ceremony at the Fairmont Century Plaza had no host and no commercials and was livestreamed on Netflix’s YouTube channel – a departure from previous years, when it was televised on NBC, TNT and TBS. The SAG Awards are voted by members of the SAG-AFTRA union.

Several Black celebrities attended the awards extravaganza, but only “Abbott Elementary” (a show about an underfunded public elementary school in Philadelphia) resulted in any wins for the Black people who were listed as nominees. Though the comedy has collected a parade of awards this year, “Abbott Elementary’s” only SAG Award this year was for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. The win included showrunner/creator Brunson (who plays teacher Janine Teagues), Jenelle James (who plays school principal Ava Coleman), Sheryl Lee Ralph (who has the role of teacher Barbara Howard), Tyler James Williams (whose character is teacher Gregory Eddie), and William Stanford Davis (who plays custodian Mr. Johnson). They share the award with their white co-stars Lisa Ann Walter (who plays teacher Melissa Schemmenti) and Chris Perfetti (who has the role of teacher Jacob Hill).

Brunson also had a SAG Award nomination this year for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. Jean Smart of HBO Max’s “Hacks” won the award and did not attend the ceremony. In the acceptance speech for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, Brunson said: “I know, especially for me, this [award] means a lot, because being a part of this ensemble means the world to me.”

Brunson added, “When I get to be a part of this ensemble, these people bring me back down to Earth. They make me a better actor. … They really are so funny and good at acting. I’m in awe of all of them at every single turn. We just want to say thank you, and [we’re] honored to be in the categories with such amazing shows and amazing actors and peers of ours.”

“Abbott Elementary” has been on a winning streak since its 2021 debut. The show has also won prizes at the Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, the Critics Choice Awards, and NAACP Image Awards.

The 2023 SAG Awards ceremony’s other Black nominees were:

• Viola Davis of Columbia Pictures’ action drama “The Woman King,” nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.
• Danielle Deadwyler of Orion Pictures’ drama “Till,” nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.
• Angela Bassett of Marvel Studios’ superhero action film “Black Panther Wakanda Forever,” nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.
• Jovan Adepo of Paramount Pictures’ drama “Babylon,” nominated in a group for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
• Zendaya of HBO’s “Euphoria,” nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series.
• Niecy Nash-Betts of Netflix’s limited series “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series.
• Giancarlo Esposito of AMC’s “Better Call Saul,” nominated in a group for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
• Jessica Frances Dukes of Netflix’s “Ozark,” nominated in a group for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
• Zach Cherry of Apple TV+’s “Severance,” nominated in a group for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
• Trammell Tillman of Apple TV+’s “Severance,” nominated in a group for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
• Liza Colón-Zayas of Hulu’s “The Bear,” nominated in a group for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
• Ayo Edebiri of Hulu’s “The Bear,” nominated in a group for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
• Edwin Lee Gibson of Hulu’s “The Bear,” nominated in a group for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
• Corey Hendrix of Hulu’s “The Bear,” nominated in a group for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. 
• Carl Clemons-Hawkins of HBO Max’s “Hacks,” nominated in a group for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

The SAG Awards have two non-televised categories: Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series. These two categories do not list individuals as nominees in a group. Paramount Pictures’ “Top Gun: Maverick” won this year in the movie stunt category, while Netflix’s “Stranger Things” won in the TV stunt category.

With four prizes—including Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture—the top winner at the 2023 SAG Awards was A24’s sci-fi/action/comedy film “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which centers on a Chinese American family.

The issue of diversity at award shows extends not just to who gets nominated but also to who ends up winning. The British Film Academy’s 2023 BAFTA Film Awards (which took place on February 19 in London) caused some controversy when all but one of the show’s winners was white. Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, the only non-white winner, was one of the winners of the BAFTA Film Award for Best Animated Film, because del Toro was a co-director and a producer for Netflix’s “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.”

There have also been complaints and scrutiny about the 2023 Academy Awards not having any Black nominees in the top categories of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress. As previously reported, the 2023 Academy Awards ceremony (which will be presented on March 12 in Los Angeles) only has eight Black nominees. All but one of these nominees is from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”Black people who were presenters at the 2023 SAG Awards were Brunson, James, Adepo, Zendaya, Courtney B. Vance, Ariana DeBose, Caleb McLaughlin, and Don Cheadle. The complete list of winners can be found at the official SAG Awards website.