When Jeff Hiller published his memoir over the summer, he described it as a love letter to the queer, quirky, theater-loving kid he once was. In it, he reflected on the winding path that led him from Texas to New York, from odd jobs to Off-Broadway, from Upright Citizens Brigade stages to a breakout role on HBO's Somebody Somewhere, a comedy about a small, tight-knit community of outsiders in Kansas.
At the time, he admitted to dreaming of recognition but tempered it with the realism that awards were for “fancy Hollywood people.”
Last week, the so-called impossible happened. The actor won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his outstanding performance as Joel, the tender-hearted gay choir director and best friend to Bridget Everett’s Sam. Hiller's name was called, and the kid who once thought he wasn’t in the running suddenly found himself at the center of television’s brightest spotlight.
“I know it’s a cliché to say you don’t think you’d win,” Hiller, who has also appeared on American Horror Story and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, told The Advocate. “But every single article that came out said there was no chance in hell I would win. And I believed them! So when I heard my name called out, I took a beat to make sure it really was my name. I didn’t want to stand up and walk to the podium if I hadn’t won. That’s really something you can’t live down.”
Jeff Hiller accepts the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for 'Somebody Somewhere' during the 2025 Primetime Emmy AwardsMyung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
"It seemed like a fun and glamorous thing to happen,” he reflected. “But I like my vision board to be full of goals that I can work towards with concrete steps. I have no control over winning an award. Plus, I had done two seasons of a show I was very proud of, and the show was never recognized, so I sort of thought we were too small to receive awards attention, so I just never expected this. Which is not to say that I am not very much enjoying this wild ride.”
Even in the surreal haze of the moment, Hiller’s instincts were practical, including who to thank, how to keep it short, and how not to “take money away from children” by running over time. The Emmy statue itself, he admits, is “so pretty,” but what lingers most is all of the warmth and support he’s felt in the aftermath.
“The other best thing about getting this Emmy is seeing how genuinely supportive and kind people have been,” he said.
After his name was called, a meme of his competitors in the category, Michael Urie, Bowen Yang, and Coleman Domingo, applauding him with delight went viral, which was indicative of the industry’s embrace of his win.
“Every time I look at that meme, I tear up. People have been so sincere when they say congratulations. It makes me feel like a part of a beautiful community that celebrates each other, and I couldn’t be happier to be part of it.”
Jeff Hiller attends 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards AfterpartyDavid Jon/Getty Images for HBO Max
But among those closest to him, Everett, Murray Hill, Tim Bagley, and show creators Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, the Emmy has been a shared triumph.
“Getting to celebrate with them was so exciting because we know that this win will get more eyeballs on the show,” he said.
That humility is what makes Hiller’s win feel both surprising and inevitable. Somebody Somewhere has always been more than a comedy. It’s a documentation of the importance of chosen family, an LGBTQ+ community in a small town, and the unsinkable power of friendship.
In Joel, Hiller gives audiences a character rarely afforded such depth on television, that of a gay man who is tender, funny, flawed, religious, and endlessly lovable.
For Hiller, the Emmy is not just recognition of his own craft but a validation of the show’s importance and its profound vision.
“I feel shocked,” he said. “I’m not saying that I am not talented, and I am certainly not saying that the show isn’t worthy of such an honor. What I am saying is that big fancy Hollywood awards and honors seem so far away and unattainable. They seem as if they are for a chosen few. I suppose they are. I just can’t believe that we are finally chosen.”
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