With her win for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, “Baby Reindeer” actress Jessica Gunning became the newest member of their famed ranks.

Giancarlo Esposito, Antony Starr, and Kathy Bates came together on Sunday night at the Emmys to deliver the Best Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie award, symbolizing the long tradition of villainy on tiny screens.

Naturally, Starr gained notoriety for his role as Homelander on The Boys, the superhero who is actually a supervillain. After transferring her villainous persona to television with recurring appearances in American Horror Story (where she even won an Emmy in the same category for her performance in the Coven season), Bates earned an Oscar for her portrayal of Annie Wilkes, the original insane fan, in the 1990 film Misery. Meanwhile, Esposito is best known for his television roles as drug lord Gus Fring on Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. However, he is such a master of villainy that he has also brought his talents to The Boys, where he portrays Stan Edgar, the CEO of Vought.

Antony Starr, Kathy Bates, and Giancarlo Esposito onstage at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, Calif.

What really unites all these TV villains, though, is how often their roles bleed over into real life.

“My American horror story was forgetting to thank Ryan Murphy when I won my Emmy,” Bates said, which might explain why she hasn’t been on the horror anthology series since 2018.

“For me, the downside is trying to have a nice, quiet, fine dining experience, and drug dealers start asking for advice on how to build their empires,” Esposito said.

“Then there’s the critics, like 12-year-olds telling me I’m a bad superhero,” Starr said. “They’re too young to watch the show anyways! Sloppy, sloppy parenting.”

As they presented their award, the trio of iconic villains welcomed another member into their ranks: Jessica Gunning, who played stalker Martha Scott on Baby Reindeer.

“My biggest thanks has to go to Mr. Richard Gadd,” Gunning said in her acceptance speech, referring to the star, creator, and writer of Baby Reindeer. “I’ve tried so many times to put into words what Baby Reindeer meant to me, and I fail every time, so I’m gonna sing….” Gunning continued with a laugh, “I’m gonna keep it simple and say thank you for trusting me to be your Martha. I will never, ever forget her, or you.”

Jessica Gunning.

Gadd’s actual experience served as the inspiration for Baby Reindeer, and Fiona Harvey claims that she served as the model for the Martha character. Harvey filed a $170 million defamation lawsuit against Netflix back in June. “Her actions took an extensive toll on my physical, and especially my mental, well-being,” Gadd wrote of Harvey in a court document in response to the complaint. Since then, Netflix has acknowledged that Harvey was under a court order and was never found guilty of stalking.