2026 Emmy Awards: Record-Breaking Wins, Major Firsts and Emotional Praises

The 78th Emmy Awards brought together some of television’s biggest names as the year’s winners were revealed.

Widow’s Bay emerged as the dominant title of the night, taking its overall haul to 14 Emmys and setting a new record for the most awards won by a comedy series in a single year. The Apple TV series surpassed the previous record of 13, set by The Studio last year, while The Pitt continued its winning streak by taking Outstanding Drama Series for the second consecutive year.

Matthew Rhys was responsible for one of the night’s biggest pieces of Emmy history. He won 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, becoming the first performer to win two lead acting Emmys in the same year. Combined with his 2018 drama win for The Americans, Rhys is also the first performer to win lead acting Emmys across drama, comedy and limited series or movie categories.

Jean Smart also made history with her fifth Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series win for Hacks, becoming the first performer to win an Emmy for every season of a series. Allison Janney’s win for The Diplomat, meanwhile, brought her acting Emmy total to eight, putting her alongside Smart, Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus among the most decorated performers in Emmy history. Sally Field became the oldest-ever winner of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Remarkably Bright Creatures.

The ceremony also made space for emotional tributes to Catherine O’Hara and Dolly Parton. O’Hara was remembered on stage by her Home Alone and Schitt’s Creek co-stars Macaulay Culkin, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy, while Sally Field paid tribute to Parton before Reba McEntire performed “Appalachian Memories.”

Full list of Emmy Awards winners:

Outstanding Drama Series

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

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 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 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 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

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 — WINNER

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

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

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 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

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

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

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 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

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 — WINNER
Richard Jenkins — DTF St. Louis
Charles Melton — Beef
Nick Offerman — Death by Lightning

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Linda Cardellini — DTF St. Louis — WINNER
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 Television Movie

Heads of State
Miss You, Love You
People We Meet on Vacation
Remarkably Bright Creatures — WINNER
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War

Outstanding Variety Series

The Daily Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — WINNER
Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

Dancing With the Stars
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Survivor
Top Chef
The Traitors — WINNER

2026 Creative Arts Emmy Awards Winners