Yeah, Don Cheadle Doesn’t Know Why He Was Nominated For An Emmy Either

During the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Don Cheadle reprises his role as Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes for a brief scene where he asks Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson why he’s letting Captain America’s shield sit in the Smithsonian. Now, it’s not a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo, but it’s also not a very long or pivotal scene. It lasted less than two minutes. To be honest, it mostly felt like an obligatory setup for when Cheadle stars in Armor Wars, his own Marvel series on Disney+, more than anything else.

So, imagine everyone’s surprise when Cheadle’s brief cameo netted him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama. It was so random that even Cheadle himself thought it was strange.

“thanks, well wishers. sorry, haters. agreed, [shrug emoji]ers. i don’t really get it either,” Cheadle tweeted. “buuuuuuuuuut on we go”

Not to take away from Cheadle’s greatness, but by the end of the announcement, it felt like they were just giving away Emmy nominations to Disney+ series. The burgeoning streamer racked up 71 nominations in total. Just check out this list:

Outstanding Limited Series

WandaVision

Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Paul Bettany, WandaVision
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Leslie Odom Jr., Hamilton

Outstanding Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Elizabeth Olsen, WandaVision

Drama Series

The Mandalorian

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Don Cheadle, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Timothy Olyphant, The Mandalorian
Carl Weathers, The Mandalorian

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg without getting into the numerous technical awards that Disney+ racked up. For a full list of the Emmy nominations, including this perplexing one for Don Cheadle, click here.

(Via Don Cheadle on Twitter)