Olivia Cavallaro Culture 09.13.2022 00:Sep AM EDT

Zendaya Takes Home Second Emmy Award for HBO's 'Euphoria'

The 26-year-old actress has once again made history as the youngest two-time Emmy winner.

Zendaya, who plays the lead role of Rue in HBO's "Euphoria," has been honored with the Outstanding Lead Actress award at the 2022 Emmys, making this the second time she won in that category. The 26-year-old first made history last year when she won the same award for her role in "Euphoria," which made her the youngest actress to receive the Best Actress accolade.

Zendaya repeats history this year with this award that has made her the first youngest two-time winner for acting in Emmys history and the first African American woman to win an Emmy for lead actress in a drama series twice, Vanity Fair reported. The "Euphoria" star was dressed in an elegant Valentino gown and adorned with Bulgari jewels as she received the honor.

Zendaya Thanks HBO, Fans for 'Euphoria' Success

In Zendaya's acceptance speech, she thanked HBO for "making such a safe space to make this very difficult show." HBO's "Euphoria" is a highly acclaimed series that is written by Sam Levinson and is based on a miniseries from Israel, from Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin.

HBO's "Euphoria" follows the story of Zendaya's Ruby "Rue" Bennett, a teenage drug addict in the fictional town of East Highland, where she struggles to find her way in the world after being released from rehab. The show first aired on June 16, 2019, and released its second season in January. HBO had already greenlit a third season.

Zendaya said in accepting her second Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series that her "greatest wish" for the HBO series was that it could "help heal people," Deadline reported. She dedicated her second win to "anyone who has loved a Rue or feels like they are Rue," expressing gratitude to those who had shared stories of their own struggles with drug use with her.

HBO's 'Euphoria,' Zendaya Snags Several Emmy Nominations

This year, Zendaya broke records for being nominated for four Emmy Awards as executive producer on the HBO series and for her lyric-writing in two songs that were featured on "Euphoria," namely "I'm Tired" and "Elliot's Song." But ultimately, she was honored as the best actress in a drama for her work in the show's fifth episode titled "Stand Still Like a Hummingbird," in which Zendaya's character was forced to face her drug relapse.

Zendaya's win is not without challenge, as also nominated in the Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series category were Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer for "Killing Eve," Laura Linney for "Ozark," Melanie Lynskey for "Yellowjackets," and Academy Award-winning actress Reese Witherspoon, The Hollywood Reporter revealed. Last year, Zendaya went up against and beat Comer, Oh, Linney, Olivia Colman for "The Crown," and Jennifer Aniston for "The Morning Show."

The 2022 Emmy Awards was hosted by comedian Kenan Thomson and took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, on Monday night.