Mike White Gives Emotional Emmys Tribute to His 'Struggling' Dad Mel: 'I Love My Parents' (original) (raw)

The White Lotus creator Mike White appeared on The Amazing Race with his father, Mel White, in 2009

Published on September 13, 2022 10:14AM EDT

Mike White dedicated his first of three White Lotus Emmy Awards to his father.

As he accepted the award for outstanding directing for a limited series at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, the 52-year-old briefly mentioned that his father, Mel White, is "struggling."

"I wanna thank my parents, I love my parents, my mom let me be the weird kid I wanted to be, and my dad who's struggling right now," White said of Mel, 82. "Thank you so much for letting me honor him tonight."

White didn't provide additional details on Mel's struggle, whether it be health concerns or personal discomforts.

White previously appeared on The Amazing Race's 14th installment with his father in 2009. The duo competed in three legs of the competition.

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But The Amazing Race wasn't White's only reality TV stint. The White Lotus creator was also featured on Survivor's 37th season — David and Goliath — in 2018. He went on to become the season's runner-up.

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On Monday, White won back-to-back Emmy awards for writing and directing The White Lotus. He also brought home a third trophy for outstanding limited or anthology series.

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Taking the stage for his second win of the night, White joked about his time on Survivor — and how big of a threat his back-to-back wins make him.

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"I was on Survivor. And on Survivor, the way you stay in the game is to lower your threat level," he said. "Now, I feel like I've raised my threat level. I just want to stay in the game. Awards are great. I love writing; I love doing what I do. Don't come for me. Don't vote me off the island!"

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Other White Lotus awards given during the Emmys included outstanding supporting actor in a limited series to Murray Bartlett and outstanding supporting actress in a limited series to Jennifer Coolidge. Season 2 of The White Lotus is expected to premiere on HBO in October.