Emmy Awards 2026 WINNERS: Matthew Rhys makes history as first actor to win TWO leading acting honors on TV’s biggest night
Matthew Rhys made history as the first actor to win two leading acting Emmy Awards in different categories in one night.
The 51-year-old Welsh actor won big as he earned Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy series for Widow’s Bay and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me.
For the comedy series gong, Rhys beat out an impressive field which consisted of: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II for Wonder Man, Steve Carell for Rooster, Jason Segel for Shrinking, Martin Short for Only Murders in the Building, and co-star Widow’s Bay co-star Dale Dickey.
Rhys made a joke about his second win by poking fun at the program’s creator Katie Dippold as he said: ‘My apologies to the women who had to stand again.
‘Stephen Root is right, this is purely because of the depraved and twisted mind of Katie Dippold, and her genius really does live in the recesses of her disturbed brain. It is also because of my hero, Hiro Murai, so beautifully, as did all of them.’
On the Apple TV series, the talented actor portrays Tom Loftis, mayor of Widow’s Bay, as he is originally from the mainland and is initially skeptical of the local residents’ superstitions about the island’s supposed curse. He is a widower, and father to a son, Evan, from his marriage to his deceased wife, Lauren.
Matthew Rhys made history as the first actor to win two leading acting Emmy Awards in different categories in one night
The 51-year-old Welsh actor won big as he earned Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy series for Widow’s Bay
He also earned Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me
For his win earlier in the night for The Beast in Me he triumphed over: Riz Ahmed for Bait, Jason Bateman for Black Rabbit, Charlie Hunnam for Monster: The Ed Gein Story, and Oscar Isaac for Beef.
In the psychological thriller mini series, Rhys portrays Nile Jarvis who is the son of a real estate magnate who moves next door to the home of Aggie Wiggs [Clare Danes] in Oyster Bay, New York on Long Island to live in a more secluded manner with his second wife as he allegedly killed his first wife.
Rhea Seehorn earned one of the biggest wins of television’s biggest night and beat one of the biggest stars in Zendaya to earn the honor.
The 54-year-old actress triumphed in the Lead Actress in a Drama category at the Emmy Awards 2026 as she was recognized for her work in Pluribus.
She beat out an impressive field including 30-year-old Zendaya for the third and final season of Euphoria along with Carrie Coon for The Gilded Age, Chase Infiniti for The Testaments, and Keri Russell for The Diplomat.
There seemed to be a real camaraderie between the nominees as she recognized her fellow competitors including Russell.
Seehorn said during her acceptance speech: ‘And I also just want to say congratulations and thank you for the performances to my fellow nominees in my category. All brilliant, brilliant performances.
‘Keri Russell among them, who sent us a lovely gift and a card, quoting — sadly we didn’t know we would lose her so soon, but quoting Gloria steinem saying, “we are linked, not ranked.” And I feel that way about all you women. So, thank you for that.’
For the comedy series gong, Rhys beat out an impressive field which consisted of: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II for Wonder Man, Steve Carell for Rooster, Jason Segel for Shrinking, Martin Short for Only Murders in the Building, and co-star Widow’s Bay co-star Dale Dickey
Rhys made a joke about his second win by poking fun at the program’s creator Katie Dippold as he said: ‘My apologies to the women who had to stand again. Stephen Root is right, this is purely because of the depraved and twisted mind of Katie Dippold, and her genius really does live in the recesses of her disturbed brain’
For his win earlier in the night for The Beast in Me he triumphed over: Riz Ahmed for Bait, Jason Bateman for Black Rabbit, Charlie Hunnam for Monster: The Ed Gein Story, and Oscar Isaac for Beef
Rhea Seehorn earned one of the biggest wins of television’s biggest night and beat one of the biggest stars in Zendaya to earn the honor
Zendaya clapped for Seehorn despite losing out
American journalist and social movement activist Steinem passed away earlier this month at 92-years-old.
In the ambitious project created by Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan, Seehorn’s character Carol Sturka is one of the immune few who live in a world overtaken by a mysterious wave of forced happiness and must uncover what is really going on in order to save humanity from artificial bliss.
Noah Wyle was the first to be awarded for The Pitt on a night where they earned 25 nominations which was the most from any single series.
The 55-year-old actor earned the win in the coveted Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category as he beat out: Sterling K. Brown for Paradise, Gary Oldman for Slow Horses, Mark Ruffalo for Task, and Rufus Sewell for The Diplomat.
On the series he portrays Dr. Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch who is the main protagonist of the show as he deals with trauma and PTSD alongside unresolved post-COVID stress.
The Pitt is centered around the daily lives of healthcare professionals in a Pittsburgh hospital as they juggle personal crises, workplace politics, and the emotional
toll of treating critically ill patients, revealing the resilience required in their noble calling.
Jean Smart earned her fifth Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy win in a row at the Emmy Awards 2026 on a night that featured a star-studded red carpet.
The 54-year-old actress triumphed in the Lead Actress in a Drama category at the Emmy Awards 2026 as she was recognized for her work in Pluribus
She beat out an impressive field including 30-year-old Zendaya for the third and final season of Euphoria along with Carrie Coon for The Gilded Age, Chase Infiniti for The Testaments, and Keri Russell for The Diplomat
There seemed to be a real camaraderie between the nominees as she recognized her fellow competitors including Russell
In the project created by Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan, Seehorn’s character Carol Sturka is one of the immune few who live in a world overtaken by a mysterious wave of forced happiness and must uncover what is really going on in order to save humanity from artificial bliss
The 75-year-old talented actress was recognized for her work on Hacks which just had its fifth and final season.
Smart – who earned her eighth total Emmy in her 15th total nomination – was obviously emotional as her name was called and she was presented the honor by Zendaya.
During her acceptance speech she thanked her children Connor and Forrest before recognizing the creators of her highly-popular HBO Max series.
She said: ‘But this one I am dedicating to Jen Statsky, Lucia Aniello, and Paul W. Downs.
‘It all begins and ends with them. I love you guys so much. Thank you. Thank you all so much.’
Noah Wyle was the first to be awarded for The Pitt on a night where they earned 25 nominations which was the most from any single series
The 55-year-old actor earned the win in the coveted Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category as he beat out: Sterling K. Brown for Paradise, Gary Oldman for Slow Horses, Mark Ruffalo for Task, and Rufus Sewell for The Diplomat
On the series he portrays Dr. Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch who is the main protagonist of the show as he deals with trauma and PTSD alongside unresolved post-COVID stress
Jean Smart earned her fifth Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy win in a row
The 75-year-old talented actress was recognized for her work on Hacks which just had it’s fifth and final season
Smart – who earned her eighth total Emmy in her 15th total nomination – was obviously emotional as her name was called and she was presented the honor by Zendaya
During her acceptance speech she thanked her children Connor and Forrest before recognizing the creators of her highly-popular HBO Max series
Kate O’Flynn earned the first award of the night in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy category.
The 40-year-old British actress earned the honor for her work in Widow’s Bay.
She beat out: Hannah Einbinder for Hacks, Janelle James for Abbott Elementary, Michelle Pfeiffer for Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Megan Stalter for Hacks, and Jessica Williams for Shrinking.
The 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards are taking place at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles on Monday night.
Law & Order: SVU executive producer/star Mariska Hargitay served as host of the gala event which marks the first time a woman has hosted the show in 15 years.
She kicked off the event with a prerecorded intro featuring New York Knicks NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson and a parody version of 1981 Joan Jett & The Blackhearts hit I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll turned into ‘I love TV screens’ before jumping into a monologue.
Nominations for television’s biggest night were announced back in July as Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney, The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White, and Stranger Things as a whole were among the most shocking snubs.
The Pitt earned the most nods with the hit HBO Max medical drama earning a whopping 25 nominations, which was nearly double the 13 the show had last year.
Kate O’Flynn earned the first award of the night in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy category
The 40-year-old British actress earned the honor for her work in Widow’s Bay
She beat out: Hannah Einbinder for Hacks, Janelle James for Abbott Elementary, Michelle Pfeiffer for Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Megan Stalter for Hacks, and Jessica Williams for Shrinking
Law & Order: SVU executive producer/star Mariska Hargitay served as host of the gala event which marks the first time a woman has hosted the show in 15 years
The series earned 13 acting nods including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for star Noah Wyle and top honor Outstanding Drama.
The Pitt was followed closely by another HBO Max awards show darling, Hacks, which earned 24 nominations for its fifth and final season.
It is the most ever for a comedy as it beat out previous record holders The Bear and The Studio which had previously earned 23.
Nominations for television’s biggest night were announced back in July as Sydney Sweeney was one of the most shocking snubs for her work on the third and final season of Euphoria
The Pitt earned the most nods with the hit HBO Max medical drama earning a whopping 25 nominations including one for leading man Noah Wyle
The Pitt was followed closely by another HBO Max smash, Hacks, which earned 24 nominations for its fifth and final season (Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart are pictured)
Leading lady Jean Smart now has the chance to earn her fifth Emmy for the show and her eighth overall, which would put her in a tie for the actress with the most Emmy acting wins in history.
Apple TV comedy horror series Widow’s Bay had a strong showing for a newcomer as it earned 19 nods. The streamer also earned 18 nominations for drama Pluribus.
When it came to the limited/anthology series categories it was the second season of Netflix’s Beef which led the way with 16 nominations.
Streamers didn’t have all the success, however, as the most nominations on the broadcast network side went to iconic variety series Saturday Night Live which earned an impressive 11 nominations.
Apple TV comedy horror series Widow’s Bay had a strong showing for a newcomer as it earned 19 nods (Matthew Rhys is pictured)
Streamers didn’t have all the success, however, as the most nominations on the broadcast network side went to Saturday Night Live which earned an impressive 11 nominations
HBO Max earned the most nominations for any platform this year with an impressive 122 nods including 13 for DTF St. Louis.
This year, 555 programs were submitted across the 14 program categories, down 7.5% from last year’s 600 entrants.
That included 110 dramas, 71 comedies, 31 limited/anthology series, 34 movies, 18 variety series and 45 reality competition shows.
The two Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremonies took place on Saturday, September 5, and Sunday, September 6.
Emmy Awards 2026 winners
Outstanding Drama Series
The Diplomat
The Gilded Age
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Paradise
The Pitt
Pluribus
Slow Horses
Your Friends and Neighbors
The Pitt led the way with 25 nominations including top honor Best Drama Series
Outstanding Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Hacks
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Nobody Wants This
Only Murders in the Building
Shrinking
Widow’s Bay
Hacks came in a close second with 24 nods including Best Comedy Series
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
All Her Fault
The Beast in Me
Beef
DTF St. Louis
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette earned a Best Limited or Anthology Series nod
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age
Chase Infiniti, The Testaments
Keri Russell, The Diplomat
Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus – WINNER
Zendaya, Euphoria
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown, Paradise
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
Mark Ruffalo, Task
Rufus Sewell, The Diplomat
Noah Wyle, The Pitt – WINNER
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Taylor Dearden, The Pitt
Fiona Dourif, The Pitt
Allison Janney, The Diplomat – WINNER
Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt
Sepideh Moafi, The Pitt
Julianne Nicholson, Paradise
Karolina Wydra, Pluribus
Taylor Dearden was one of four nominees from The Pitt in the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama category
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Patrick Ball, The Pitt
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt
Gerran Howell, The Pitt
Jack Lowden, Slow Horses
Tom Pelphrey, Task – WINNER
Carlos-Manuel Vesga, Pluribus
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Brittany Allen, The Pitt
Tal Anderson, The Pitt
Tina Ivlev, The Pitt
Miriam Shor, Pluribus
Merritt Wever, The Gilded Age
Shailene Woodley, Paradise
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Colman Domingo, Euphoria
Ernest Harden Jr., The Pitt
Jeff Hiller, Pluribus
Jeff Kober, The Pitt
Jonathan Pryce, Slow Horses
Bradley Whitford, The Diplomat
Colman Domino earned Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Euphoria
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Elle Fanning, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Jean Smart, Hacks – WINNER
Ayo Edebiri received a Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nomination for The Bear
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Wonder Man
Steve Carell, Rooster
Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay – WINNER
Jason Segel, Shrinking
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Dale Dickey, Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay – WINNER
Michelle Pfeiffer, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Megan Stalter, Hacks
Jessica Williams, Shrinking
Hannah Einbinder was recognized in the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy category for Hacks
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons
Paul W. Downs, Hacks
Harrison Ford, Shrinking
Nick Offerman, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Stephen Root, Widow’s Bay – WINNER
Michael Urie, Shrinking
Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Leslie Bibb, Hacks
Jamie Lee Curtis, The Bear
Betty Gilpin, Widow’s Bay
Cherry Jones, Hacks
Laurie Metcalf, Hacks
Kaitlin Olson, Hacks
Lauren Weedman, Hacks
Jamie Lee Curtis scored a Best Guest Actress in a Comedy nod for The Bear
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Michael J. Fox, Shrinking
Brett Goldstein, Shrinking
Hamish Linklater, Widow’s Bay
Christopher McDonald, Hacks
Rob Reiner, The Bear
Connor Storrie, Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Claire Danes, The Beast in Me
Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures – WINNER
Carey Mulligan, Beef
Sarah Pidgeon, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette
Sarah Snook, All Her Fault
Carey Mulligan earned a Best Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology nod for Beef
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Riz Ahmed, Bait
Jason Bateman, Black Rabbit
Charlie Hunnam, Monster: The Ed Gein Story
Oscar Isaac, Beef
Matthew Rhys, The Beast in Me – WINNER
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Linda Cardellini, DTF St. Louis
Dakota Fanning, All Her Fault
Laurie Metcalf, Monster: The Ed Gein Story
Joy Sunday, DTF St. Louis
Youn Yuh-jung, Beef
Constance Zimmer, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Jason Bateman, DTF St. Louis
Richard Gadd, Half Man
David Harbour, DTF St. Louis
Richard Jenkins, DTF St. Louis
Charles Melton, Beef
Nick Offerman, Death by Lightning
Jason Bateman and David Harbour will face off in the Bestg Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for DTF St. Louis
Outstanding Reality Competition Program
Dancing With the Stars
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Survivor
Top Chef
The Traitors – WINNER
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program
RuPaul Charles, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Alan Cumming, The Traitors
Kristen Kish, Top Chef
Ariana Madix, Love Island
Jeff Probst, Survivor
Outstanding Host for a Game Show
Steve Harvey, Celebrity Family Feud
Ken Jennings, Jeopardy
Colin Jost, Pop Culture Jeopardy
Jimmy Kimmel, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Martin Short, Match Game
Outstanding Structured Reality Program
Antiques Roadshow
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Love Is Blind
Queer Eye
Shark Tank
Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
Love on the Spectrum
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked
Summer House
Welcome to Wrexham
Summer House received a surprise nomination in the Best Unstructured Reality Program category
Outstanding Variety Series
The Daily Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Game Show
Celebrity Family Feud
Jeopardy
The Price Is Right
Wheel of Fortune
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Outstanding Movie
Heads of State
Miss You, Love You
People We Meet on Vacation
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
The Diplomat (Peter Akerman and Debora Cahn for “Amagansett”)
The Pitt (Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman & R. Scott Gemmill for “1:00 PM”)
The Pitt (Valerie Chu for “12:00 PM”)
Mickey Down and Konrad Kay for “Dear Henry,” Industry
Pluribus (Vince Gilligan for “We Is Us”)
Slow Horses (Will Smith for “Scars”)
Task (Brad Ingelsby for “A Still Small Voice”)
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary (Quinta Brunson for “Team Building”)
The Chair Company (Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin for “Life goes by too f**king fast, it really does”)
The Comeback (Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow for “Valerie Does It All”)
Hacks (Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky for “Hacks”)
Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat (Anthony King for “Mergers and Acquisitions”)
Widow’s Bay (Katie Dippold for “Welcome to Widow’s Bay”) – WINNER
Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
All Her Fault (Megan Gallagher for “Episode 8”)
The Beast in Me (Gabe Rotter and Daniel Pearle for “Sick Puppy”)
Beef (Lee Sung Jin for “All the Things We’re Never Gonna Have”)
DTF St. Louis (Steven Conrad)
Death by Lightning (Mike Makowsky)
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
The Gilded Age (Salli Richardson-Whitfield for “My Mind Is Made Up”)
Paradise (Hanelle M. Culpepper for “Exodus”)
The Pitt (Noah Wyle for “12:00 PM”)
Pluribus (Vince Gilligan for “We Is Us”)
Slow Horses (Saul Metzstein for “Scars”) – WINNER
Task (Salli Richardson-Whitfield for “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a river”)
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary (Randall Einhorn for “Ballgame”)
The Bear (Christopher Storer for “Bears”)
The Chair Company (Andrew DeYoung for “Life goes by too f**king fast, it really does”)
Hacks (Lucia Aniello for “Hacks”)
The Ms. Pat Show (Mary Lou Belli for “Give It Arrest”)
Widow’s Bay (Hiro Murai for “Welcome to Widow’s Bay”) – WINNER
