The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards took place in Los Angeles, where the Emmy Awards 2026 were released. The ceremony was held at the Peacock Theater and hosted by Mariska Hargitay. Pitt won Outstanding Drama Series for the second year in row and the Outstanding Comedy Series went to Widow’s Bay. Winners included big-time actors: Noah Wyle, Jean Smart, Rhea Seehorn and Matthew Rhys.
Jean Smart is the fifth Emmy winner in a row for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Hacks. She had already won her eighth acting Emmy with the victory. Matthew Rhys really had an amazing night, being nominated for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow’s Bay and Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me.
Emmy Awards 2026 Winners: Major Categories
| Category | Winner | Show |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding Comedy Series | Widow’s Bay | Widow’s Bay |
| Outstanding Drama Series | The Pitt | The Pitt |
| Lead Actor – Comedy | Matthew Rhys | Widow’s Bay |
| Lead Actress – Comedy | Jean Smart | Hacks |
| Lead Actor – Drama | Noah Wyle | The Pitt |
| Lead Actress – Drama | Rhea Seehorn | Pluribus |
| Limited or Anthology Series | DTF St. Louis | DTF St. Louis |
| Lead Actor – Limited/Anthology | Matthew Rhys | The Beast in Me |
| Lead Actress – Limited/Anthology | Sally Field | Remarkably Bright Creatures |
| Supporting Actor – Drama | Tom Pelphrey | Task |
| Supporting Actress – Drama | Allison Janney | The Diplomat |
| Supporting Actor – Comedy | Stephen Root | Widow’s Bay |
| Supporting Actress – Comedy | Kate O’Flynn | Widow’s Bay |
| Reality Competition Program | The Traitors | The Traitors |
| Variety Series | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert |
The Television Academy’s official records include the winners across major Emmy categories, including Comedy, Drama, Limited or Anthology, Reality and Variety programs.
The Pitt & the Widow’s Bay Lead the Winners
The Pitt’s stellar Drama Series success continued with the production taking home the top prize of Outstanding Drama Series for the second year running. Noah Wyle was also nominated for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role in the show.
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Pluribus star Rhea Seehorn won Lead Actress for the Drama Actress category. Task won the Supporting Actor award and Allison Janney won Supporting Actress for The Diplomat.
Widow’s Bay was awarded Outstanding Comedy Series in comedy. The series’ Lead Actor was Matthew Rhys, Supporting Actor was Stephen Root, and Supporting Actress was Kate O’Flynn. Hacks won the Lead Actress award, won by Jean Smart.
For Matthew Rhys, it was a major win; for Jean Smart, it was a huge win
Matthew Rhys is among the biggest individual winners of the 2026 Emmy Awards. He was nominated for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow’s Bay and Lead Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series/Movie for The Beast in Me.
Jean Smart picked up her fifth-straight Emmy win as Lead Actress in a Comedy Series with Hacks. It also gave her a total of eight acting Emmy wins.
The other winners of the major Emmy Awards from the 2026
DTF St. Louis went on to receive Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series honors. It also received acting awards: David Harbour took out Supporting Actor and Linda Cardellini took out the award for Supporting Actress.
Sally Field was the winner for Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Remarkably Bright Creatures. The award was an additional feather in the award-winning actor’s cap.
Directing for Slow Horses gave Saul Metzstein the Drama Series win and directing for Widow’s Bay secured Hiro Murai Comedy Series. The winners of the Writing for Drama Series were Vince Gilligan and the Comedy Series winner was Katie Dippold for Widow’s Bay.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert took home the Outstanding Variety Series in other categories, and The Traitors won the Outstanding Reality Competition Program. During the ceremony, Michael J. Fox was also awarded the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award.
For the full list of Emmy Awards 2026 winners, it’s possible to consult the Television Academy’s official awards records, which provide the list of winners of the various categories of the Primetime Emmy Awards.
FAQ:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who won Best Drama Series at the 2026 Emmys? | The Pitt won Outstanding Drama Series. |
| Who won Best Comedy Series at the 2026 Emmys? | Widow’s Bay won Outstanding Comedy Series. |
| Who won Best Drama Actor at the 2026 Emmys? | Noah Wyle won Lead Actor in a Drama Series for The Pitt. |
| Who won Best Comedy Actress at the 2026 Emmys? | Jean Smart won Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Hacks. |
| Which Emmy Awards did Matthew Rhys win in 2026? | Matthew Rhys won Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow’s Bay and Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me. |
