How Emmy Underdogs Kelly Jenrette and Melvin Jackson Jr. Turned Brief Roles Into 2 Unlikely Noms
244 views · Published 27 August 2018 · 2:11 · Indexed 25 September 2026
Channel: TheWrap · 2018 · Entertainment
They’re this year’s Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy, a married couple with his & her Emmy nominations. But Kelly Jenrette and Melvin Jackson Jr. did it with a lot less screen time: She appeared in a single episode of Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” in two scenes that together total less than two minutes and 10 seconds of airtime, while he played himself (or a version of himself) in a web series, “This Eddie Murphy Role Is Mine, Not Yours,” whose six episodes total about 10 minutes. “I think we were equally surprised,” said Jenrette of their reaction on the morning nominations were announced. “I found out first, and he called me but he didn’t know yet whether he had been nominated. Because I was home, I was able to pull it up on my computer, and I screamed, ‘Babe, you’re nominated too!'” How’d they become the unlikeliest success story of this Emmy season? Maybe voters were driving around town and spotted Jackson’s Mercedes sedan, which is emblazoned with banners asking for votes for the couple. Subscribe to TheWrap's YouTube: http://bit.ly/TheWrapYTSub Subscribe to Our Newsletter: http://bit.ly/TheWrapNewsletter Twitter: http://bit.ly/TheWrapTwFollow Instagram: http://bit.ly/TheWrapIG Find us at www.TheWrap.com
