How Matthew Rhys, Sally Field & More Made Emmys History

Jean Smart Makes History at Emmys 2026 With Final 'Hacks' Win

The 2026 Emmys was one award show to remember.

After all, TV milestones were toppled at the Sept. 14 ceremony. In fact, host Mariska Hargitay ended a 15-year dry spell when she stepped onto the stage at Los Angeles' Peacock Theater as the first woman to emcee the prestigious event since Jane Lynch in 2011. (Click here to see all the celebrities on the red carpet.)

And it was certainly a ladies' night at the star-studded affair. Jean Smart made history as the first woman to win an Emmy for every season of a comedy show, bookending her spectacular five-season run on Hacks after it took its final bow in May.

"This has been just the ride of a lifetime," she shared on the Emmys Thank You Cam. "It's been incredible. It hasn't been a rollercoaster—it's been up and up and up. Just a thrill."

Thanks to her Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series victory, the 74-year-old also tied Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman and Allison Janney—who was awarded her eighth career Emmy at the ceremony—for the record of most Emmys won by a female performer. 

Meanwhile, Sally Field became the oldest person to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie after nabbing the prize for her performance in Remarkably Bright Creatures.

Matthew Rhys also set an Emmys record by becoming the first man to win two lead acting trophies in a single night, taking home the title of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow’s Bay.

With his impressive double victory, Rhys—who previously won Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series in 2018 for his work on The Americans—is now the first performer to have received an Emmy across all three genres.

Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

But record books were already rewritten well before Emmys night. When nominations were announced in July, Hacks shattered a longstanding barrier by raking up 24 nods—the most for a comedy in a single year.

Meanwhile, Elle Fanning and Dakota Fanning became the first sisters to be nominated in a category, with Margot's Got Money Troubles—on which they serve as executive producers—up for an Outstanding Comedy Series prize.

And when the Creative Arts Emmys were held on Sept. 6, Julie Andrews set a new precedent as the oldest actress to win an Emmy, taking home the prize of Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for her work as Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton.

Who else walked away as an Emmy winner this year? Read on for a complete list.