‘Master of None’ Wins at the 2016 Emmy Awards

Actor/writer Aziz Ansari (R) and writer Alan Yang accept Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the ‘Master of None’ episode ‘Parents’ onstage during the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Co-creator Alan Yang took to the Emmy’s stage Sunday night to accept the Award as “Master of None” won outstanding comedy series at the 2016 Emmy Awards and one writer spoke out about diversity issues affecting Asian-Americans in Hollywood.

“There’s 17 million Asian-Americans in this country and 17 million Italian Americans. They have The Godfather, Goodfellas, Rocky, The Sopranos,” Alan Yang said as he accepted the award alongside the show’s star Aziz Ansari. “We’ve got Long Duk Dong. So, we have a long way to go, but I know we can get there. I believe in us.”

Long Duk Dong is the fictional character in the 1984 movie Sixteen Candles played by Gedde Watanabe.

Kelvin Yu plays Brian on “Master of None,” the best friend of Aziz Ansari’s character, Dev. Photo by Paul Smith

According to GLAAD’s 2015 “Where We Are On TV” report, 6 percent of broadcast series regular characters in the 2015-2016 are Asian-Pacific Islander. This season is also historic for primetime television as a network features two sitcoms whose central stories are based on Asian-American families.

“I think diversity has to happen on a storytelling level, not just on a casting level,” Yu said, reflecting on the changing industry. “I’m so proud to be part of [‘Master of None’], in part, because it really feels like the word ‘diversity’ is being used as a virtue rather than as a four-letter word or a mandate.”