Ryan Murphy Hopes LGBTQ Actors In His Shows Are 'Examples of Possibility'

Ryan Murphy dedicated his speech to the LGBTQ actors who shaped his career while accepting the honorary Carol Burnett Award at the 80th Annual Golden Globes.

Murphy, who is gay, began his speech by asking the audience to give a standing ovation to Pose star Michaela Jaé Rodriguez. Rodriguez made history last year by becoming the first transgender actor to win a Golden Globe. He also acknowledged Billy Porter, who presented the award, Matt Bomer and Jeremy Pope.

“I’ve dedicated most of my lifetime achievement speech here tonight to these actors I’ve worked with to make a point of hope and progress,” Murphy said. “When I was a young person at home in the seventies watching The Carol Burnett Show, I never, ever saw a person like me getting an award or even being a character on a TV show."

Murphy is best known for co-creating Glee, Pose and the American Horror Story franchise. He said he hopes the LGBTQ actors and characters in his work have been "examples of possibility" for queer youth watching the shows his home. “For 25 years that’s all I’ve ever tried to do here in Hollywood," he said. "My mission was to take the invisible, the unloved and make them the heroes I longed to see but never did in pop culture.”