- Emmys
Emmys 2026 recap: See the winners, emotional tributes and biggest moments
ABC News’ Melissa Adan scouts out the frontrunners in Hollywood as the entertainment world gears up for the Emmy Awards.
AP
ByKimberlee Sakamoto, Mason Leib, Emily Shapiro, and Angeline Jane Bernabe
Last updated: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 3:49AM GMT
LOS ANGELES –The 78th Emmy Awards brought together television’s biggest stars, shows and creators to celebrate the best of the small screen.
Mariska Hargitay hosted the event for the first time. “Widow’s Bay” dominated a crowded field, ending the night with six wins on top of the eight wins the show took home previously at the Creative Arts Emmys, held earlier this month.
On Monday, “Widow’s Bay” took home the awards for outstanding comedy series, as well as outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series, outstanding supporting actor, lead actor, writing and directing.
Scroll below for a recap of the night’s winners and biggest moments, and check out all our coverage of the Emmyshere.
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Best photos from the Emmys red carpet
Here’s how the night is developing.
Sep 15, 2026, 12:46 AM
Full list of 2026 Emmy Award winners and nominees
Click here for the full list of winners and nominees for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards.
‘Widow’s Bay’ breaks Emmys comedy record with 14 wins
“Widow’s Bay” stormed the Emmy Awards on Monday night, breaking a record for a comedy series with 14 awards including best comedy series and three acting wins.
The first-season horror comedy created by Katie Dippold about a New England island community reckoning with a centuries-old curse spoiled the going-away party for “Hacks,” which had gotten the most comedy nominations of any show in its fifth and final season.
It broke the comedy record set last year by “The Studio” when it won 13.
Star Matthew Rhys won best actor, Stephen Root won best supporting actor and Kate O’Flynn won best supporting actress. Dippold won for writing.
The Apple TV horror comedy “Widow’s Bay” rode into the night on a wave of buzz. It had already won eight Emmys at an earlier ceremony and added four more, including supporting actress for breakout star Kate O’Flynn and supporting actor for Stephen Root.
Rhys also won best actor in a limited series for “The Beast in Me,” becoming the first man to win two leading actor categories in the same year.
“The celebrations will be long, varied, and I hope at times wild,” Rhys said backstage while holding both Emmys.
It also won for directing for Hiro Murai and for writing for its creator Dippold, a first-time Emmy winner and first-time nominee who was previously best known for an old viral tweet showing her dressed as “The Babadook.”
‘Widow’s Bay’ wins Emmy for outstanding comedy series
“Widow’s Bay” won the Emmy for outstanding comedy series.
The other nominees included “Abbott Elementary” “The Bear,” “Hacks,” “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” “Nobody Wants This,” “Only Murders in the Building” and “Shrinking.”
‘The Pitt’ wins Emmy for outstanding drama series
“The Pitt” won the Emmy for outstanding drama series.
R. Scott Gemmill, the series’ creator, showrunner, and executive producer, accepted the award and spoke about the need to continue telling “honest stories about real human struggles.”
“When I look around this room, I see something more important than the awards and the ratings,” Gemmill said. “I see a whole community that is still trying to do the right thing.”
He continued, “It is so hard to tell what is real and what we can believe anymore, which makes telling honest stories about real human struggles so much more important than ever. What you do, it changes people’s lives.”
Other nominees in the category included “The Diplomat,” “The Gilded Age,” “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” “Paradise,” “Pluribus,” “Slow Horses” and “Your Friends & Neighbors.”
Rob Reiner, Michele Reiner honored in moving tribute
Jamie Lee Curtis took the stage to share words on Rob Reiner’s legacy.
“He was generous and kind and funny as hell and a friend to all. And we all miss Rob and Michele, and all those we lost this year,” Curtis said.
She also shared that with his posthumous Emmy win for his performance in “The Bear,” Rob Reiner had broken the record for longest gap between acting Emmys, a title previously held by his dad, Carl Reiner.
The legendary filmmaker and his wife, a photographer and movie producer, were found stabbed to death in their family home in December 2025. The couple’s son, Nick Reiner, was charged with the murders of his parents.
Nick Reiner pleaded not guilty to murder charges and remains held on no bond. He is next due in court on Sept. 15 for a pretrial hearing. No trial date has been set.
