Richard Gadd Encourages “Anyone Going Through A Difficult Time” To Persevere In Emotional Emmys Speech Win For ‘Baby Reindeer’

Writer-actor Richard Gadd made a heartfelt speech at the Emmys on Sunday night addressing the plights and difficult subject matter of the semi-autobiographical limited Netflix series Baby Reindeer.

 Honoring his win for Outstanding Writing For A Limited or Anthology Series, in his speech, Gadd reflected: “This is the stuff of dreams. 10 years ago, I was down and outright. I never, ever thought I’d get my life together. I never ever thought I’d be able to rectify myself with what happened to me and get myself back on my feet again. Then here I am, just over a decade later, picking up one of the biggest writing awards in television.” 

Baby Reindeer centers around comedian Donny Dunn’s (Gadd) parasocial and twisted relationship with a female stalker named Martha (Jessica Gunning), and the impact that it has on him as he unravels the deep traumas of his past. The critically acclaimed drama proved to be a cultural phenomenon since its release in April, spending eight weeks in Netflix’s Global Top 10 TV list and Top 10 TV in 92 countries. The limited series is up for a total of 11 nominations, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. Other cast members recognized with nominations for their work included Gadd, Nava Mau and Tom Goodman-Hill.

Gadd continued in his speech offering advice and words of encouragement to those navigating the trials of life’s ups and downs. “[This award speech] I mean it as encouragement for anyone who’s going through a difficult time right now to persevere. I don’t know much about this life, I don’t know why we’re here, none of that. But what I do know is that nothing lasts forever. And no matter how bad it gets, it always gets better. So, if you’re struggling, keep going and I promise you things will be OK.”