The 2020 Emmys offered a teachable moment for Zendaya fans, who were apparently confused by the meaning of “upset.”
The 24-year-old’s surprise victory for her portrayal of Rue Bennett in HBO’s “Euphoria” over acting vets Jennifer Aniston, Laura Linney, Olivia Colman, Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh left groupies shocked — over the New York Post’s tweet announcing Zendaya’s Lead Actress in a Drama Series win.
“Biggest upset: Zendaya wins Emmys 2020 over Jennifer Aniston, Laura Linney,” read The Post’s tweet, accompanied by a screengrab of a tickled Zendaya, the youngest woman to win the trophy in Emmy’s history, clutching her award.
Fans were quick to come to Zendaya’s defense.
“No ones upset,” wrote one fan, garnering more than 1,000 “likes” on the platform. “Hate to see a powerful woman winning an award she deserves, I see,” commented another less-than-impressed fan.
Some were quick to point out that in the context of a competition, like a sports game or award’s show, “upset” is used to mean a surprise victory, especially for an underdog like Zendaya who was up against industry heavyweights.
“There is no hope for humanity if this many people don’t know what ‘an upset’ means,” said one Tweeter while another lamented, “well damn they should’ve used another word in the dictionary.”
Hundreds of amateur linguists went at it with Zendaya stans over the word’s multiple meanings, and whether The Post was underestimating the former Disney princess’ performance in the HBO drama. Other internet warriors staked claim in the replies of the original tweet to fight for their “Ozark” queen, Linney — among them:
“Zendaya did a great job but Laura Linney deserved that award. She was outstanding.”