Mahershala Ali Makes History As The First Muslim Actor To Win An Oscar

It's been quite a week for Mahershala Ali. On February 22nd, the 43-year-old actor welcomed a baby girl with his wife Bari Najma, and on Sunday evening, Ali took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Little did he know he would make history that night. Winning that Oscar made Ali the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar. EVER.

The Moonlight actor started his speech thanking his teachers. “I want to thank my teachers, my professors,” he said. “One thing they consistently told me was that it wasn’t about you. It’s not about you, it’s about these characters, you are a servant. You’re in service to these stories and these characters.” 

Ali then ended his speech by giving a shoutout to his wife and daughter. “I want to thank her for being such a soldier through this process, and carrying me through it all,” Ali said.

In addition, this win also makes Ali the fifth black actor to win a Supporting Actor Oscar. I guess the academy decided they wanted to leave #OscarsSoWhite in the past!