78th Emmy Awards 2026 Live Updates

Emmy Awards 2026: Zendaya, Emilia Clarke, Florence Pugh and many other stars turn presenters for awards night

NBC and the Television Academy have announced additional presenters for the ceremony, hosted by Mariska Hargitay. The latest additions include Stephen Amell, Noah Beck, Jessica Belkin, Hassie Harrison, Thaddeus LaGrone and Brooks Nader from Fox’s upcoming “Baywatch” reboot, according to Deadline.

Other presenters include LL Cool J and Scott Caan from CBS’ new spinoff “NCIS: New York”, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson from Apple TV’s comedy series “Brothers”, and Julia Garner from Netflix’s limited series “The Altruists”.

Jamie Lee Curtis will have a triple role at the ceremony as a presenter, co-star and executive producer of NBC’s upcoming comedy series “Newlyweds”, and as a Guest Actress Emmy nominee for “The Bear”. Curtis won the same category for the FX series in 2024.

Other newly announced presenters include Awkwafina, John Mulaney, Emma D’Arcy, Paul Anthony Kelly, Emmy Rossum and Sofía Vergara.

Previously announced presenters include Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Rachel Sennott, Odessa A’zion, Linda Cardellini, Alan Cumming, Sally Field, Jon Hamm, David Harbour, Marcello Hernández, Peter Krause, Julianna Margulies, Niecy Nash-Betts, Keke Palmer, Amanda Peet and Amy Poehler.

04:42 (IST) Sep 15

Emmy Awards 2026: Reba McEntire to headline Dolly Parton tribute; Singer Noah Kahan to perform during the In Memoriam segment

Country music star Reba McEntire will pay tribute to late singer and actor Dolly Parton at the 78th Emmy Awards ceremony, which is set to be held at the Peacock Theatre, Deadline reported.

The tribute to Parton, who died recently at the age of 80, was confirmed by executive producer Jesse Collins. According to reports, McEntire, Parton’s longtime friend and fellow country music icon, will perform the special segment during the awards ceremony.

McEntire, who stars in NBC’s multi-camera comedy series “Happy’s Place”, paid tribute to Parton after her death, writing on Instagram, “Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge huge heart. There will never ever be another you,” as per the outlet.

The Emmy telecast will also feature a tribute to actor Catherine O’Hara, with appearances by her “Home Alone” co-star Macaulay Culkin and “Schitt’s Creek” stars Dan Levy and Annie Murphy.

The ceremony will include a 50th anniversary reunion of “Charlie’s Angels” featuring Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd, along with a 30th anniversary reunion of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” with Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz.

Singer Noah Kahan will perform “Bridge Over Troubled Water” during the In Memoriam segment.

04:29 (IST) Sep 15

Emmy Awards 2026 Live Update: Targaryen queens Emma D’Arcy and Emilia Clarke to present Emmy Award

Emma D’Arcy of 'House of the Dragon' and Emilia Clarke of 'Game of Thrones' will present the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie award at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards. Claire Danes (The Beast in Me); Sally Field (Remarkably Bright Creatures); Carey Mulligan (Beef); Sarah Pidgeon (Love Story) and Sarah Snook (All Her Fault) will be contending for the award.
This will be a rare reunion of the actors who played iconic Targaryen queens, with Clarke returning to the Emmys for the first time since 2019.

04:23 (IST) Sep 15

Emmy Awards 2026 Winners: ‘Spider-Noir’ wins five 2026 Creative Arts Emmys days after cancellation

Despite being cancelled by Prime Video and MGM+ after its first season, Nicolas Cage-starrer series 'Spider-Noir' has already secured multiple wins at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys, taking home five awards, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The series, which debuted on the streamer in May, received 11 nominations for the 2026 Emmy Awards, the most nominations earned by any series from the streamer this year.

At Sunday's Creative Arts Emmys, 'Spider-Noir' won awards for stunt coordination for comedy programming, sound editing for a one-hour comedy or drama series, title design, special visual effects in a single episode and cinematography for a series.
'Spider-Noir' follows Cage's Ben Reilly, a down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York who is "forced to grapple with his past life following a deeply personal tragedy, as the city's one and only superhero."

04:21 (IST) Sep 15

Emmy Awards 2026 Red Carpet: Host Mariska Hargitay stuns in red on the Emmys carpet - WATCH

— PopBase (@PopBase)

04:14 (IST) Sep 15

Emmy Awards 2026: The order of presentation for the 78th Emmy Awards

• Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
• Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
• Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
• Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
• Lead Actress in a Drama Series
• Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
• Reality Competition Program
• Lead Actor in a Drama Series
• Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
• Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
• Writing for a Comedy Series
• Directing for a Drama Series
• Variety Series
• Directing for a Comedy Series
• Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for Michael J. Fox
• Writing for a Drama Series
• Dolly Parton Tribute
• Limited or Anthology Series
• In Memoriam
• Drama Series
• Comedy Series

04:02 (IST) Sep 15

Emmys 2026: 'Widow's Bay' dominates with 8 Emmys at earlier ceremony and 'The Pitt' takes 4

'Widow's Bay' ran away with eight early Emmys for its debut season on Sunday at a ceremony eight days before the main awards show and telecast, while 'The Pitt' had a strong second-year showing with four of its own and Rob Reiner posthumously won an acting Emmy nearly nine months after his killing.

'DTF St Louis' won big with six awards in the limited series categories, with co-stars and veteran actors David Harbour and Linda Cardellini both becoming first-time Emmy winners.

'Widow's Bay', the Apple TV horror comedy with Matthew Rhys as the mayor of a small New England town dealing with a centuries-old curse, won categories including cinematography, sound, music and production design.

Betty Gilpin won best guest actress in a comedy for her role on the show, and read a rapid-fire comic poem as her acceptance speech. It included the lines “our business is stupid, but actors are the bomb” and “let's all lean more toward Sam Shepard and less toward Sam Altman.”

'The Pitt' has strong second-year showing HBO Max's day-in-the-life medical series 'The Pitt' — the year's top nominee with 25 and the reigning best drama winner for its first season — had wins Sunday in categories including prosthetic makeup and best guest actor in a drama for 73-year-old first-time nominee Ernest Harden Jr.

03:59 (IST) Sep 15

78th Emmy Awards 2026: Who is hosting the show?

The ceremony will be hosted by Mariska Hargitay, the longtime star of Law & Order: SVU. Hargitay is coming off a notable year. She won two Emmys last weekend for My Mom Jayne, the documentary she made about her mother, actor Jayne Mansfield. She also made her Broadway debut in the one-woman show Every Brilliant Thing and was a prominent figure during the New York Knicks' championship run.

Mariska Hargitay won two Emmy Awards for her documentary 'My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay' at the 78th Creative Arts Emmys, earning honours for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program.

The awards recognise Hargitay's feature-film directorial debut, which explores the life and career of her mother, Hollywood icon Jayne Mansfield. The documentary, now streaming on HBO Max, features never-before-seen photographs and home videos of Mansfield.

'My Mom Jayne' premiered in June 2025 at the Cannes Film Festival and the Tribeca Festival.

Accepting her awards, Hargitay reflected on the experience of discovering her mother through the process of telling her story.

"My hero and friend Gloria Steinem recently said ... 'Please tell your own story. The most important thing that we can do for each other is to know each other through stories.' I got to know my mother through telling this story, and it is a gift that is indescribable," Hargitay said and went on to add, "It was such an extraordinary gift to tell this story and to tell it with experts. And I learned so much in the process, and I got to know my mother, as I said. And so I just invite you all to tell your stories."

03:56 (IST) Sep 15

78th Emmy Awards 2026: ‘The Pitt’ eyes history as ‘Widow’s Bay’, ‘Hacks’ battle for Best Comedy

The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards are set to take place at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, with HBO Max's medical drama ‘The Pitt’ aiming to make Emmy history and a closely watched best comedy race between freshman horror-comedy ‘Widow's Bay’ and veteran favourite Hacks.

The Pitt enters the best drama race as the favourite to repeat its victory. A win would give the HBO Max medical drama a place in Emmy history, making it the first series to win television's top drama prize for each of its first two seasons since Mad Men achieved the feat in 2009.

The best comedy category is expected to be one of the night's closest contests, with Widow's Bay going up against Emmy favourite Hacks. The freshman horror-comedy is challenging Hacks, which could secure another major victory in what is being viewed as its swan-song season.

In the limited series race, HBO Max's DTF St Louis is considered a slight favourite over the second season of Netflix's anthology series Beef.

03:48 (IST) Sep 15

78th Emmy Awards 2026: 'Widow's Bay' poses a threat to 'Hacks'

The show must fend off surging support, however, for Apple TV's "Widow's Bay," a new horror comedy about an isolated New England town that appears to be cursed.

"It suddenly feels like we have a competition here," Birnbaum said. "When you go around town and talk to people at events, there's just a lot of excitement behind 'Widow's Bay.' It just feels like something new and surprising and ‌different."

Matthew Rhys, who plays the small-town mayor on "Widow's Bay," is a contender for two acting honours. He was nominated for that role and for best actor in a limited series for "The ​Beast in Me" ​on Netflix.

Smart appears to be a ⁠lock to win best comedy actress for her role as comedy legend Deborah Vance in "Hacks," having won the award four times. If she takes a fifth, she will be the first actor to sweep the category for ​a show's entire run. Julia Louis-Dreyfus claimed the award for six of the seven seasons of "Veep."

Ford, competing for supporting comedy actor, would be the oldest winner in the category if he takes the trophy, which would be his first Emmy, for his role as a gruff psychologist on "Shrinking."

Another Hollywood legend, 79-year-old Oscar winner Sally Field, was nominated for playing a grieving mother in the Netflix movie "Remarkably Bright Creatures."

Other nominees include Sterling K. Brown for "Paradise," Gary Oldman for "Slow Horses" and Zendaya for "Euphoria."

03:47 (IST) Sep 15

Jean Smart, Harrison Ford near Emmy milestones amid Hollywood turmoil

"Hacks" star Jean Smart could become the first performer to win the Emmy for best ​comedy actress in every season of a ​TV show's run while Harrison Ford could claim his first Emmy at age 84 ​for "Shrinking" at Monday's Primetime Emmy Awards.

The Emmys offer a rare night of celebration as Hollywood grapples with production cutbacks, anxiety over artificial intelligence and the proposed Paramount Skydance purchase of HBO owner Warner Bros Discovery, a deal that has divided the industry and faces ‌challenges in court.

HBO ⁠Max's "The Pitt," ⁠set in a Pittsburgh trauma center, is favored to win best drama for a second straight year, while star Noah Wyle, a veteran ​of 1990s medical drama "ER," is a leading contender for a second straight best actor Emmy.

Television's biggest night - the Primetime Emmy Awards, is all set to unfold in Los Angeles with veteran actors Harrison Ford and Jean Smart in the running to make history. Meanwhile, 'The Pitt' is hoping to retain its crown as Outstanding Drama Series, while 'Hacks' competes for top comedy honours.
Hosted by 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' star Mariska Hargitay, the ceremony will feature presenters including Jon Hamm, Sally Field, Amy Poehler and Zendaya.
Smart could become the first performer to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for every season of a show’s run, while Ford is chasing his first Primetime Emmy for his role in Shrinking.
The ceremony comes at a time of major change and uncertainty in Hollywood, with the television industry navigating cutbacks, the growing impact of artificial intelligence and major corporate developments.
Stay tuned to this ETimes live blog for all the latest Emmy Awards updates, winners, red-carpet moments, celebrity appearances, reactions and more.