Emmys 2018: Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's Rachel Brosnahan Wins Best Comedy Actress: "I Feel Like the New Kid at the Party"

For the first time in six years, Julia Louis-Dreyfus did not walk away with the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Her ineligibility this year opened up the race and raised the stakes. And in her absence from the competition, the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards saw Rachel Brosnahan take home the Emmy for her performance as Miriam "Midge" Maisel in Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

"One of the things I love about this show is it's about a woman's who's finding her voice anew. And one of the most important ways we can use our voice is to vote," Brosnahan said during her speech.

Emmys 2018: The Complete Winners List

This marks the first Emmy win for Brosnahan, who was previously nominated for Guest Actress in a Drama for her role on House of Cards in 2015. Brosnahan's starring role in the Amazon comedy Mrs. Maisel had already earned the actress a Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Television Award.

"I feel like the new kid at the party," Brosnahan told reports backstage after her win. "This is a dream I didn't know I had. If you had told me five years ago that I'd be playing a stand-up comedian on television, I would have told you to sit down."

Her award is one of seven Emmy wins (of 11 nominations) for Mrs. Maisel, with costar Alex Borstein taking the supporting actress award and creator Amy Sherman-Palladino winning for writing and directing earlier in the night. The series also won best comedy. Brosnahan said she thinks the Amazon show is resonating with audiences for several reasons: "The show is equal parts fantasy and reality," she said backstage. "I think it's aspirational as well. This is a woman who is trying to find herself. ... It's funny and filled with joy at its core. I think that's something we could use a lot of more of in the world."

Other candidates in the category included Pamela Adlon for Better Things, Allison Janney for Mom, Issa Rae for Insecure, Tracee Ellis Ross for black-ish, and Lily Romlin for Grace and Frankie.