Matthew Rhys won big at Monday night’s 2026 Emmys. The Welsh actor made history by becoming the first person to win two lead acting Emmys in the same year, taking home awards for his starring roles in Netflix’s limited series The Beast in Me and Apple TV comedy Widow’s Bay.
He also picked up a third award as an executive producer on Widow’s Bay, which was named Outstanding Comedy Series.
Rhys’s wins also made him the first male actor to have won lead acting Emmys across drama, comedy and limited series, thanks to his 2018 win forThe Americans.
That’s quite a night.
But amid all the accolades, it was the actor’s touching tribute to his longtime partner and The Diplomat star Keri Russell that offered a glimpse at the relationship behind one of television’s most well-known power couples.
It’s a love story that began more than a decade ago on the set of The Americans and has quietly continued as both of their careers have flourished.
Rhys’s tribute didn’t come during his acceptance speeches — Russell wasn’t mentioned in his speeches. But backstage, after receiving his awards, he heaped praise on Russell, who was nominated for two 2026 Emmys herself (as a lead actress and executive producer on The Diplomat), bringing her Emmy nominations count to eight.
Backstage after the ceremony, Rhys joked that any competitiveness between himself and Russell is “not playful.” He added, “I’ve got a lot of money on myself. The kids ran a book, and I was the odds-on favorite. It’s going to be a rough week for her. I’m sorry — I don’t know if I am to be perfectly honest. You know, she’s always the class act. She sends her fellow nominees Gloria Steinem quotes about being linked and not judged, and I’m the one going, ‘Wahoo!'”
Rhys finished by saying that Russell was “always really the winner, if I’m perfectly honest,” and added that “next year she might get one, that’s my bet.”
The affectionate teasing and mutual support are typical of Rhys and Russell, who have spent over a decade navigating successful careers, parenthood and awards-season competition — while keeping their love life as private as possible.
Despite appearing together on red carpets and speaking fondly about each other in interviews, the couple has never made their relationship their calling card. Instead, they’ve kept the focus on their individual careers — an independence that was apparent on Monday night. They are not married (in his 2018 Emmys acceptance speech, Rhys said that Russell told him she’d punch him “clean in the mouth” if he proposed) but share a home in Brooklyn, N.Y., while working and raising their children. Together, they have a 10-year-old son, Sam; Russell has two older children from a previous relationship.
Fittingly, their relationship began with the TV show that would earn them both Emmy recognition: The Americans. Playing husband and wife Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, their onscreen relationship developed into something real. Despite their attempts to keep it under wraps, their relationship became known to their colleagues early on after Russell’s New York apartment was burglarized while Rhys was there.
Since then, it has unfolded as their individual careers have blossomed. Some 12 years later, they’re still operating at the top of their game with The Diplomat earning Russell repeat Emmy recognition and Rhys achieving this historic three-Emmy night.
And while Rhys may have won the family bet this time around, his backstage comments made clear who he believes comes out on top.
