2026 Emmy Awards winners and highlights: 'Widow's Bay,' Matthew Rhys and Jean Smart make history

Primary Journalistic Dispatch & Direct Reporting

Matthew Rhys and Jean Smart were among the big winners at the 2026 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Monday, as the stars of critically acclaimed shows gathered to honor television's best programs and performances from the past year.

Apple TV's Widow's Bay grabbed 14 Emmys - a record for a comedy series. Its star, Rhys, won two Lead Actor Emmys: one for Widow's Bay and the other for The Beast in Me , becoming the first male performer to win two in the same year.

Smart also made history, winning her fifth Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy for Hacks - a win for every season . Noah Wyle won for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his work on The Pitt, which also nabbed an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series for the second straight year. CBS's The Late Show With Stephen Colbert won for Outstanding Variety Series, one of six Emmys it received in its final season. Also see: The best, boldest and most 'wait, what' red carpet looks, from Zendaya's crystals to Shailene Woodley's closet roulette

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The show was hosted by Mariska Hargitay, longtime star of Law & Order: SVU , who became the first woman to host the ceremony in 15 years . Hargitay also appeared in a surprise SVU-style skit with longtime friend Taylor Swift, trying to solve the mystery of whether Swift would show up for the ceremony. (She didn't - she was in Kansas City cheering on her husband, Travis Kelce.)

The Emmys also paid emotional tributes to late stars Rob Reiner, Catherine O'Hara and Dolly Parton. And Michael J. Fox received a standing ovation as he accepted the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his contributions to Parkinson's research.

Read our coverage of the night below for all the big talking points, behind-the-scenes moments, analysis and much more.

Industry Impact & Strategic Analysis

Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy and Dan Levy remember Catherine O'Hara during last night's Emmy Awards.

The Emmys in memoriam segment included a touching tribute to Catherine O'Hara, who died in January.

Three of O'Hara's onscreen children - Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy and Daniel Levy - took the stage to remember her.

Forward Outlook & Market Perspective

"We remember her as the forgetful mother, right? But I will never forget about her," said Culkin, who played O'Hara's son in Home Alone. "There are all kinds of words I could use to describe Catherine. She was encouraging. She was warm. She was funny. But the word I think of is 'mama.' She wasn't just a wife and mother to Bo and Matthew and Luke, she was my mom. And by extension, she's all of our mama. By the way, call your mother tonight. For real. Give it up for the moms.

"Like a good mom, she always showed up when I asked her to. Because that was Catherine. That's what she did. She showed up," Culkin added. "And this is the best that we can do for her tonight. We're showing up for her. She may have forgotten me - twice - but we will always remember her."

Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy and Daniel Levy paid tribute to O'Hara.

Murphy and Levy, who starred opposite O'Hara as her children on Schitt's Creek, also shared memories.

"Catherine's laugh was a perpetual 'yes and,'" Murphy said. "It challenged anyone who heard it to join in and be as delighted as she was, and she spread that delight everywhere."

"The greatest lesson I learned from Catherine both personally and professionally was to always say yes," Levy added. "Say yes to her instincts, all of them, as radical as they may sometimes seem, she is miles ahead of you and you will learn to catch up."

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