‘Orange Is The New Black’ Star Becomes First Transgender Person To Be Nominated For An Emmy; Laverne Cox Reacts To Nomination

Beyond the annual splash made by the 2014 Emmy nominations, Thursday's announcement upped the excitement with the news that Laverne Cox is in the running for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy, along with her co-stars Natasha Lyonne and Uzo Aduba.

Aside from the obvious that this is a well-deserved nomination – seriously, Sophia’s anatomy lecture in episode 4 of Season 2 deserved a Nobel Peace Prize at the least – this is the first time a transgendered person has ever been nominated for an Emmy Award. Shocked? We were too when the groundbreaking news was revealed.

How did Cox react to the announcement about becoming the first openly transgender actor to be so recognized? The performer took to Twitter to congratulate the entire cast and crew of “Orange it the New Black” on all their Emmy nominations. How classy.

But Cox wasn’t the only one from the cast of “OITNB” nominated for an Emmy. Kate Mulgrew, who plays Red, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy while Taylor Schilling grabbed a Best Actress in a Comedy Series nomination. The show also claimed nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Direction for a Comedy Series, which says “OITNB” has a decent chance at going back to Litchfield with a shiny, gold statuette.

Are you surprised Cox is the first transgendered person to be nominated for an Emmy Award? Sound off in the comments section below and let us know your Emmy predictions before the award show airs Aug. 25.