The 43-year-old actress Ellen Pompeo says she “was really disappointed” by Sunday’s broadcast. “I didn’t see any diversity in the Emmys at all. The Emmys felt so dated to me,” she said in an interview on Monday. “That dance number was embarrassing. Did you see one person of colour in that dance number?”

A few others criticised the Emmys on the same point, though there were minorities represented, including Diahann Carroll, the first black person ever nominated for an Emmy; she paid tribute to Scandal’s Kerry Washington, who was by her side. Washington was nominated for Best Actress in a Drama, and had she won, she would have been the first African-American to win the trophy; instead, it went to Claire Danes, the star of Homeland.

Grey’s Anatomy is one of the more diverse shows on television, which Pompeo says is one of her favourite things about the series. It debuts its 10th season in the US on Thursday. “I’m extremely proud of our very, very diverse cast, which represents the world that I walk around in every day,” she said.

* AP