It all went down at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday night. Lots of wins, even more losses and many moments we never could have predicted (like two musical numbers from host Mariska Hargitay and a cameo from Taylor Swift!)
The latest Emmy Awards hit plenty of highs and lows through the night’s festivities. Matthew Rhys made history as the first lead actor to win leading actor recognitions in two different categories – Actor in a Limited Series and Actor in a Comedy Series – in the same night; John Mulaney hilariously roasted the Best Drama actors; and again, two musical numbers from our host.
Here are the best and worst moments from the 2026 Emmy Awards.
Worst: The Opening Music Number
The 2026 Emmys didn’t really start off with a bang. Host Mariska Hargitay began the show with a musical number where she riffed on “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” as she made the rushed journey from New York to Los Angeles to host the show. The cross country bit has been done time and time again and the musical opening was filled with do-nothing cameos of the various nominees. It was flat from start to finish but luckily Hargitay’s opening monologue buoyed things from there.
Best: Jean Smart’s Emmys sweep
Jean Smart made history Monday night. Her fifth win for her role as Deborah Vance in “Hacks” tied her for the most acting wins in primetime Emmys history with eight. (She ties only Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.) Smart is also the first woman to take home an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for all five seasons of her show. The Emmy winner dedicated her award to the HBO show’s creators Lucia Aniello, Jen Statsky and Paul W. Downs.
Best: John Mulaney Roasts the Actor Nominees
John Mulaney brought the energy back to the 78th Annual Emmy Awards as he presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (referring to the nominees as a “crop of prom kings”). The comedian opened by saying that everyone knows this one is the most important of the night, joking that men have been historically unrepresented in television history. Mulaney poked fun at method actors and billion-dollar streamers before referencing DJ Khaled saying that, “Real men don’t go down on their wives,” a sentiment that was muted by NBC’s standards and practices.
Worst: The SVU References Hit Critical Mass
Throughout the show, the references to Hargitay’s long-running time on “Law and Order: SVU” started to hit a point of diminishing returns. They started fun, with Hargitay making jokes about not understanding what a show’s finale really was. But the host’s writers kept coming back to the same well again and again. A long skit that featured Taylor Swift had some potential but by that point there had already been so many “SVU” references that it was the first feeling of overkill. The night couldn’t even end without a final “dun dun” sound effect before wrapping up.
Best: Matthew Rhys Wins Best Leading Actor Awards in Comedy and Limited Series Categories
Matthew Rhys made some Emmys history at the 78th show when he won in two separate lead acting categories on the same night. He won his first award for the Netflix limited series “The Beast in Me” and later one for his work in the first season of Apple TV’s buzzy horror-comedy “Widow’s Bay.”
Worst: A Second Musical Moment
The opening musical moment was certainly nothing to write home about … and then a second one popped up. Hargitay returned to the mic to sing once again – this time to “Goodbye Stranger” about shows that ended this year – an hour and a half into the show and walked through the crowd to interact with attendees like Stephen Colbert and Ayo Edebiri. Andrew Rannells joined in the fun but it was too little too late.
Best: Taylor Swift Cameo
Taylor Swift appeared in a meta pre-taped “Law & Order: SVU” sketch with Mariska Hargitay, where she played a rookie detective on the case of whether or not the pop superstar would appear at the awards show. Hargitay played her iconic “SVU” role as Olivia Benson leading the charge on the case, detailing on not one but two crime boards how Easter eggs may point to an appearance from the “Love Story” singer. The four-minute sketch referenced the “Bad Blood” music video that Hargitay starred in, and Swift’s cat, who bears the name of the Special Victims Unit captain, even made a cameo.
Best: Catherine O’Hara Tribute
Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy, and Dan Levy paid tribute to the late Catherine O’Hara. Each of the actress’ former co-stars shared their memories of her.
“She was my mom. She was our mom. And by extension, she was all of our mom,” the “Home Alone” star said.
The “Schitt’s Creek” stars each memorialized the actress’ sense of humor. Murphy shared several encounters with fans after O’Hara’s death that showcased the late actress’ impact on the world.
Levy shared that the biggest lesson he learned from O’Hara was to say yes, specifically referencing how they worked together to bring Moira Rose to life.
Worst: NBC/Peacock Pushes Their Shows During the Ceremony
Throughout the Emmys, if you were watching on Peacock a notification would pop up in the corner prompting viewers to add winners or upcoming shows of NBC properties to their watch lists on the streamer as people were talking about their wins. Notifications for “Traitors,” “Crystal Lake,” and, of course, “Law and Order: SVU.” It was a distracting bit of corporate synergy that kept showing up throughout the show. Congrats on the NBC wins though?
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