Jon Hamm Has Finally Gotten That Emmy

I must say that it was a tight race between the Lead Actors in a Drama Series at the 2015 Emmys. Sure, you can more or less say that about any given year, but, to me, that's just proof that TV keeps getting better and better. Our options for this particular category were Kyle Chandler (Bloodline), Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan), and Kevin Space (House of Cards) — see what I mean about this being a tough choice? No matter who ended up taking home the statue, there was going to be a significant portion of the crowd who were thrilled and an equally significant portion of the crowd who were foaming at the mouth with sympathetic rage on behalf of one of the other choices. Well, get ready to cheer or foam because Jon Hamm won the Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy at the 2015 Emmys Awards, and finally breaking his streak of being always a bridesmaid (nominee) and never a bride (winner).

Seriously, Hamm has been nominated for seven Emmys and has never taken home a single one, leading to jokes that he is to the Emmys what Leonardo DiCaprio is to the Oscars. Can you believe that? Still, when Hamm took to the stage to accept his award, I wasn't expecting too much from the speech. With award show speeches, it's usually a hit or a miss on whether we'll get the same-old same-old thanking-everyone-under-the-sun-and-the-fans-for-this-great-honor spiel or if we'll get a profound commentary on a social issue or personal issue close to the celebrity's heart. What stars choose to use the platform for at these ceremonies is just a mystery, so when Hamm opened his mouth and delivered a heartfelt speech reaching out to all the people who have supported him throughout his life, I was both surprised and unsurprised by the content.

"There’s been a terrible mistake, clearly," Hamm joked before quickly growing serious. "Thank you for that. This is impossible — it’s impossible to be named with all of those extraordinary gentlemen. It’s impossible to be standing up here." He then went on to say something truly touching, something that made the long-deserved win even more poignant in light of the struggles that Hamm has had to overcome in the last year alone. "And it’s incredible and impossible for me personally to be standing here so, I want to thank the people to whom I owe an incredible debt, people who in my life have gotten me here, families who have chosen for some reason to take me in and be nice to me along this strange strange road."

Hamm and Mad Men fans can finally breathe easily now that the man has taken home his first Emmy, after tons of nominations and after the series finally released its final episode. Meanwhile, Leonardo DiCaprio fans can only hope that some of Hamm's luck rubs off on him by the time the next Oscars ceremony rolls around.