Emmy Awards 2026 full winners list: Widow's Bay breaks record with 14 wins

Jean Smart made history with her fifth win for Hacks while Matthew Rhys won two lead acting awards

Matthew Rhys with the Emmys for best comedy actor for Widow's Bay and best actor in a limited series for The Beast in Me. Reuters

Apple TV horror comedy's Widow's Bay made Emmy history on Monday, winning 14 awards – the most for a comedy series in a single year.

It passed the previous record of 13 wins set by The Studio last year. Widow's Bay won best comedy series, while lead star Matthew Rhys took best comedy actor and Stephen Root and Kate O'Flynn won the supporting actor and actress prizes. Creator Katie Dippold won for writing, while Hiro Murai took the award for directing.

Rhys had an especially successful night, also winning best actor in a limited series for The Beast in Me.

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Elsewhere, The Pitt won best drama series for the second consecutive year, with Noah Wyle taking the award for best drama actor for his role as an emergency room doctor in the show.

Jean Smart also made history with her fifth Emmy for Hacks, becoming the first performer to win best comedy actress for every season of a series that ran for more than three seasons.

Rhea Seehorn won best drama actress for Apple TV's Pluribus, while Tom Pelphrey and Allison Janney took the supporting drama acting prizes for Task and The Diplomat, respectively.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay hosted the ceremony, breaking with the recent tradition of comedians taking on the role. “It's a lot of pressure, but it is so reassuring to see so many familiar faces out there, and I'm not just talking about how many of you I've arrested on SVU,” she joked.

Here are the main winners of the 2026 Emmy Awards:

Best drama series

• The Pitt – WINNER
• The Diplomat
• The Gilded Age
• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
• Paradise
• Pluribus
• Slow Horses
• Your Friends & Neighbors

Best comedy series

• Widow’s Bay – WINNER
• Abbott Elementary
• The Bear
• Hacks
• Margo’s Got Money Troubles
• Nobody Wants This
• Only Murders in the Building
• Shrinking

Lead actor in a drama series

Noah Wyle with the Emmy for bet drama actor. EPA

• Noah Wyle, The Pitt – WINNER
• Sterling K Brown, Paradise
• Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
• Mark Ruffalo, Task
• Rufus Sewell, The Diplomat

Lead actress in a drama series

Rhea Seehorn with her Emmy award. AFP

• Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus – WINNER
• Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age
• Chase Infiniti, The Testaments
• Keri Russell, The Diplomat
• Zendaya, Euphoria

Supporting actor in a drama series

• Tom Pelphrey, Task – WINNER
• Patrick Ball, The Pitt
• Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
• Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt
• Gerran Howell, The Pitt
• Jack Lowden, Slow Horses
• Carlos-Manuel Vesga, Pluribus

Supporting actress in a drama series

The Diplomat's Allison Janney with her award. Reuters

• Allison Janney, The Diplomat – WINNER
• Taylor Dearden, The Pitt
• Fiona Dourif, The Pitt
• Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt
• Sepideh Moafi, The Pitt
• Julianne Nicholson, Paradise
• Karolina Wydra, Pluribus

Lead actor in a comedy series

• Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay – WINNER
• Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Wonder Man
• Steve Carell, Rooster
• Jason Segel, Shrinking
• Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building

Lead actress in a comedy series

Zendaya presents the Emmy to Jean Smart. AFP

• Jean Smart, Hacks – WINNER
• Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
• Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
• Elle Fanning, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
• Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback

Supporting actor in a comedy series

Stephen Root won for his role in Widow's Bay. EPA

• Stephen Root, Widow’s Bay – WINNER
• Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons
• Paul W Downs, Hacks
• Harrison Ford, Shrinking
• Nick Offerman, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
• Michael Urie, Shrinking
• Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary

Supporting actress in a comedy series

• Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay – WINNER
• Dale Dickey, Widow’s Bay
• Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
• Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
• Michelle Pfeiffer, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
• Megan Stalter, Hacks
• Jessica Williams, Shrinking

Best limited or anthology series

• DTF St Louis – WINNER
• All Her Fault
• The Beast in Me
• Beef
• Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr & Carolyn Bessette

Lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie

• Matthew Rhys, The Beast in Me – WINNER
• Riz Ahmed, Bait
• Jason Bateman, Black Rabbit
• Charlie Hunnam, Monster: The Ed Gein Story
• Oscar Isaac, Beef

Lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie

Sally Field with her award. EPA

• Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures – WINNER
• Claire Danes, The Beast in Me
• Carey Mulligan, Beef
• Sarah Pidgeon, Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr & Carolyn Bessette
• Sarah Snook, All Her Fault

Directing for a drama series

• Saul Metzstein, Slow Horses – WINNER
• Salli Richardson Whitfield, The Gilded Age
• Hanelle M Culpepper, Paradise
• Noah Wyle, The Pitt
• Vince Gilligan, Pluribus
• Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Task

Directing for a comedy series

• Hiro Murai, Widow’s Bay – WINNER
• Randall Einhorn, Abbott Elementary
• Christopher Storer, The Bear
• Andrew DeYoung, The Chair Company
• Lucia Aniello, Hacks
• Mary Lou Belli, The Ms Pat Show

Writing for a drama series

• Vince Gilligan, Pluribus – WINNER
• Peter Ackerman and Debora Cahn, The Diplomat
• Valerie Chu, The Pitt
• Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman and R Scott Gemmill, The Pitt
• Will Smith, Slow Horses
• Brad Ingelsby, Task

Writing for a comedy series

• Katie Dippold, Widow’s Bay – WINNER
• Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
• Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin, The Chair Company
• Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
• Lucia Aniello, Paul W Downs and Jen Statsky, Hacks
• Anthony King, Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat 

Reality competition series

• The Traitors – WINNER
• Dancing with the Stars
• RuPaul’s Drag Race
• Survivor
• Top Chef

Variety series

Emmy winner Stephen Colbert. Reuters

• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert – WINNER
• The Daily Show
• Jimmy Kimmel Live!
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
• Saturday Night Live