CODA star Troy Kotsur is the first deaf actor to win an individual SAG Award

Troy Kotsur is making history.

The CODA star became the first deaf actor to win an individual Screen Actors Guild Award on Sunday, taking home the trophy for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture.

"I've been a [SAG] member since 2001, so now I feel like I'm finally part of the family," Kotsur told the audience through an ASL interpreter. "I know you all are artists, and I know you all know what it's like to be a starving actor. Back then, I used to sleep in my car, I slept in my dressing room backstage, I couch surfed. All of that, you feel me, right? So thank you so much."

Kotsur stars in CODA as the deaf father of an aspiring singer (Emilia Jones). He and his costars were also nominated for Outstanding Motion Picture Cast. Kotsur thanked distributor Apple TV+ for "all of their support and access," from providing closed captioning and ASL interpretation services to "believing in us deaf actors and casting us authentically."

Kotsur's SAG Award win might also spell good news for his Oscar chances: Last year, Daniel Kaluuya won the supporting SAG Award for Judas and the Black Messiah, before going on to win in the same category at the Academy Awards. Kotsur is nominated at the Oscars for Best Supporting Actor, making him the first male deaf actor to ever be nominated. (His CODA costar Marlee Matlin was the first deaf person to ever be nominated and to win an Oscar for Children of a Lesser God in 1987.)

Kotsur beat out fellow nominees Ben Affleck for The Tender Bar, Bradley Cooper for Licorice Pizza, Jared Leto for House of Gucci, and Kodi Smit-McPhee for The Power of the Dog.

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