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Michaela Coel Won An Emmy For "I May Destroy You" And Dedicated It To "Every Single Survivor Of Sexual Assault"

That's Emmy-winning writer, actor, director, and executive producer Michaela Coel to you!

Michaela posing on the EMMYS red carpet in a neon bandeau top with in the back and a matching skirt
Rich Fury / Getty Images

The genius brainchild and star of her hit HBO series, I May Destroy You, won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie — and she's the first Black woman to do so.

Michaela's character in the show standing fully clothed in the ocean
Natalie Seery/HBO

Michaela's series — which was developed, co-directed, and executive produced by herself — drew inspiration from the 33-year-old's own experience with sexual assault.

Michaela wearing a sequined bodysuit on the red carpet of of the 2021 Met Gala
Ray Tamarra / GC Images / Getty Images

The 12-episode limited series follows an author named Arabella who's in her sophomore slump. After surviving a rape, she's forced to reexamine her life, career, and personal relationships.

Arabella looking at her phone
Natalie Seery/HBO

With a premiere in early June of last year, the series broke ground in its honest depiction of survivors' experiences and was critically hailed as a masterpiece.

Arabella sitting in a group therapy session
Natalie Seery/HBO

In her Emmy speech, Michaela paid tribute to survivors, saying, "I dedicate this story to every single survivor of sexual assault."

In her heartfelt and eloquent speech, she also encouraged writers to "write the tale that scares you, that makes you feel uncertain, that is uncomfortable — I dare you."

"Visibility these days seems to somehow equate to success," she continued. "Do not be afraid to disappear from it, from us for a while, and see what comes to you in the silence."

  Rich Fury / Getty Images
Rich Fury / Getty Images

Notably, Michaela revealed that in 2017 she turned down a $1 million offer with Netflix for I May Destroy You because the streaming service wouldn’t allow her to retain any percentage of the copyright.

  John Phillips / Getty Images
John Phillips / Getty Images

And now, as we all know, she's an Emmy winner for a show that very much so belongs to her. That's poetic justice if I ever saw it!