Emmy Awards 2026: Widow's Bay wins big, the night's surprises and snubs, and more

That's a wrap from me! Thank you for following along. Please send me your comments, thoughts, and hot takes on this year's Emmys.

• Matthew Rhys becomes first actor to ever win two Lead Actor categories in one night
  
  He is also now the first actor to have received an Emmy across all three genres; he won Lead Actor in Drama in 2018
   
• Allison Janney and Jean Smart tie most Emmys ever won with eight; they tie with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman
  
  
• Sally Field, 79, becomes oldest winner of Lead Actress in Limited Series or TV Movie
  
  
• Widow's Bay wins 14 awards, and sets a single-season record for a comedy

The full list of 2026 Emmy Awards winners:

Best drama series

The Diplomat
The Gilded Age
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Paradise
The Pitt – WINNER
Pluribus
Slow Horses
Your Friends & Neighbors

Best comedy series

Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Hacks
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Nobody Wants This
Only Murders in the Building
Shrinking
Widow’s Bay – WINNER

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Supporting actress in a comedy series

Dale Dickey – Widow’s Bay
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

Best limited or anthology series

All Her Fault
The Beast in Me
Beef
DTF St Louis – WINNER
Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr & Carolyn Bessette

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

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

And what about the surprises? 

© NBC via Getty Images

• Sally Field won Lead Actress in a Limited Series despite Carey Mulligan being the favorite, and it was a shock even to Sally.
  
  
• Allison Janney was also in shock for her win, beating Katherine LaNasa for Supporting Actress in a Drama.
  
  
• Matthew Rhys made Emmy history winning two Lead Actor categories in one night, for Limited and Comedy.
  
  His first win, for Netflix's The Beast in Me, was the biggest surprise, but it was perhaps an indication of just how popular his performance in Widow's Bay really was.

So, who went home empty-handed?

© Variety via Getty Images

• Hacks had an impressive 24 nominations for its final season but it won only two, most notably Lead Actress in a Comedy for Jean Smart.
  
  It now joins classic comedies like Veep, Modern Family, and 30 Rock, all of whom also lost in their final seasons.
  
  
• The Pitt's supporting cast all received nods -- but none of them went home with hardware. Katherine LaNasa was the favorite for Supporting Actress in a Drama, but perhaps vote splitting was the reason she ultimately lost to Allison Janney.
  
  
• Harrison Ford once again wenthome empty-handed with Widow's Bay's Stephen Root upsetting him for the Supporting Actor in a Comedy.
  
  
• Several major dramas were totally snubbed: Paradise, Love Story, Margo's Got Money Troubles and The Bear all left the Primetime Emmys with no statues.
  
  But some missed out entirely, with Abbott Elementary 0-for-7, All Her Fault 0-for-7, Black Rabbit 0-for-7, Euphoria: 0-for-7, The Gilded Age 0-for-8, Monster: The Ed Gein Story 0-for-7, and Only Murders in the Building. 0-for-4

Noah Wyle was joined by the cast and crew of The Pitt backstage, and he shared the advice he has been giving to his kids.

"We teach our kids that it's not about winning or losing, it's about being asked to play again, because if you can play in the game again, you have more chances of winning over the long term," he said.

"So you can lose and never get asked to play again. You can win and never get asked to play again, but if you can figure out how to win or lose in a way that makes people want to invite you back to the game, then that's a pretty good lesson."

Tonight has disappeared, but one of my favorite moments has been seeing the talent come in backstage, and ask for the TV volume to remain on so they can see the winners being announced on stage.

© HELLO!

Allison Janney, Matthew Rhys and David Harbour all waited to see their peers get announced...

© HELLO!

A very emotional Macaulay Culkin started the tribute to Catherine O'Hara at the 2026 Emmys.

"There are all kinds of words I could use to describe Catherine. She was encouraging. She was warm. She was funny. But the word that I think of is mama. You know, she was, she wasn't just a wife  and mother to Beau and Matthew and Luke. She was my mom. She was our mama. And by extension, she's all of our mama. By the way, call your mother tonight, for real."

And the final award of the night goes to... Widow's Bay!

Wow. Hacks misses out on Best Comedy Series for its final series as Matthew Rhys' series wins big.

Michael J Fox was named this year's recipient of the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award in recognition of his work advancing Parkinson's disease research and awareness, and he gave an incredibly emotiomal speech.

© WireImage

“Initially I kept my Parkinson’s diagnosis a secret. I worried it would affect my work and relationship with audiences," he said.

"Would they laugh if they knew I was sick? I was stunned by the support from all of you, so uplifted and I hadn’t lost what I do. They couldn’t take it away from me. And it’s because you stood up for me. … I understood that accepting Parkinson’s didn’t mean I had to surrender to it. It just meant I had to do everything I could for everyone living with this disease."

Read our full story here.

And the winner for Best Drama Series is The Pitt!

These Emmys have been whizzing by. From backstage it can be hard to keep up with everything, but I want to point out Sally Field's award, as she became the oldest actress to win Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV movie for Remarkably Bright Creatures.

© AFP via Getty Images

At 79, she edged out Jessica Tandy (Foxfire in 1987) by months.

"This was not supposed to supposed to happen! OK, I gotta talk really, really quick," she laughed as she walked on the stage.

Did Taylor Swift just drop major Easter Eggs?

The singer joined friend Mariska for a skit about cold cases, with the singer joining the SVU team to find out if "Taylor Swift would be attending the Emmys".

"I think what we're gonna be looking for is hiding in plain sight." said Taylor, before staring into the camera and adding: "Saccharide Aries from the vineyard, north or south."

Saccharide means sugar so could be a hint at a new love song,  while Taylor has long had a fascination with star signs. Aries runs from March 21 to April 19 - could this be when fans can expect a release?

Perhaps the Reputation (Taylor's Version) or Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version), especially because From The Vineyard may be a code for From The Vault.

The Buffy reunion was short but sweet, but we loved the tribute Sarah Michelle gave to the fandom after a "tough" two years.

Matthew Rhys has come backstage - and admitted that wife Keri Russell is the real winner in their home, even though The Diplomat star is going home empty-handed!

Stephen Colbert has won his final Emmy for Best Variety Show! The show was canceled earlier in 2026.

'There can only be one favorite guest, and that is my wife, Evie McGee!' said an emotiona Stephen.

© Variety via Getty Images

And he's done it! It's a twofer for Matthew Rhys, making him the first male to win two leads in same year!

© Getty Images

Wait, is Taylor Swift showing up at the Emmys??

And Tom Pelphrey has scooped Supporting Actor in a Drama for his incredible work in Task!

Noah Wyle has won Lead Actor in a Drama for The Pitt  - the second year in a row!

Kate O'Flynn is the first winner backstage - and she tells HELLO! this win has been a "dream come true" for little Kate from Bury!

Is it going to be a Widow's Bay sweep?? Stephen Root has won for Supporting Actor in a Comedy...!

We're whizzing through these categories, and now it's time for Lead Actress in a Drama.

And the Emmy goes to... Rhea Seehorn for Pluribus!

© NBC via Getty Images

And Best Supporting Actress in a Drama goes to... Allison Janney!!!

© AFP via Getty Images

Oh wow - Matthew Rhys has won the Lead Actor in a Limited Series award, beating favorite David Harbour and DTF St Louis

Will Matthew twofer tonight?? He's also predicted to win Lead Actor in a Comedy!

© Getty Images

And the second award goes to Jean Smart for Best Comedy Actress for her final season of Hacks

© NBC via Getty Images

And the first winner of the night is British actress Kate O'Flynn for Best Supporting Actress for Widow's Bay!

"Zip it movie lady, it's TV's turn tonight," may be the best line of the night!

© Getty Images

Reminder: the full list of nominees can be found here.

Please comment with your predictions! I'm expecting a sweep for The Pitt and Widow's Bay... but those comedy categories are tight.

The 2026 Emmys has kicked off with a song and dance number from host Mariska Hargitay.... and a surprise appearance from Knicks star Jalen Brunson!