Television history has been shaped by many talented actresses who have used their platforms to increase visibility for the LGBTQ community. She made history in 2022 by becoming the first transgender actress to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama. She made history as the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category. Her versatility allows her to play a wide range of characters from antagonists to protagonists across multiple television genres. She later won multiple Emmy Awards for her daytime talk show and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.