The most prestigious night in American television unfolded on Monday at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater, where A-list celebrities from across the industry gathered for the 2026 Emmy Awards, celebrating the most outstanding scripted and unscripted television content from the past year. Ditching the traditional crimson walking surface, this year’s event welcomed stars onto a custom-designed blue carpet, where the biggest names in TV posed for photos and spoke with press ahead of the award ceremony.
Leading the pack of fan-favorite celebrity attendees was Zendaya, who turned heads in a sparkling, floor-length jeweled Prada gown. Multi-hyphenate star Selena Gomez also stepped out for the event, earning a nomination this year as both a producer and lead cast member of the hit Hulu comedy series *Only Murders In The Building*. She was joined on the carpet by her *Only Murders* co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short, who brought their iconic comedic double act to the pre-show arrivals. Other A-list stars in attendance included Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman, BAFTA-winner Colman Domingo, and fan-favorite actor Harrison Ford, who attended alongside his wife, three-time Emmy nominee Calista Flockhart.
Notable moments from the red carpet included Megan Stalter, a supporting comedy actress nominee for her work on *Hacks*, who leaned into the night’s excitement by arriving in a full costume styled after the iconic Emmy statuette. Pregnant actress Kaley Cuoco also made an appearance alongside her husband Tom Pelphrey, who walked away with the night’s award for best supporting drama actor for his work on *Task*. The ceremony was hosted by *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* lead star Mariska Hargitay, with special guest presenters including Florence Pugh, Odessa A’zion, Emmy Rossum and Rachel Sennott.
The night brought historic firsts for multiple honorees: Welsh actor Matthew Rhys made history as the night’s biggest winner, taking home two separate acting trophies for his work on *The Beast In Me* and *Widow’s Bay*. The medical drama *The Pitt* emerged as one of the ceremony’s most recognized projects, earning eight individual acting nominations, with lead star Noah Wyle taking home the prize for best drama actor. Rhea Seehorn claimed the award for best leading drama actress for her work on *Pluribus*, while Allison Janney extended her own record, earning the eighth Emmy Award of her decades-long career for best supporting actress in a drama for *The Diplomat*. Shailene Woodley won best guest actress in a drama for *Paradise*, and Sally Field took home an acting win for *Remarkably Bright Creatures*, also using her time on stage to pay tribute to country music icon Dolly Parton.
Beloved actor Michael J. Fox received one of the night’s highest honors, accepting the Television Academy’s Bob Hope Humanitarian Award alongside his wife Tracy Pollan. Multiple standout programs took home major awards over the course of the evening, including *DTF St Louis*, *Widow’s Bay*, *The Pitt* and *Hacks*. Other nominated programs in major categories included *Margo’s Got Money Troubles*, *Beef*, *Shrinking*, *The Gilded Age*, *Abbott Elementary*, and *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms*, the *Game of Thrones* spin-off that earned a best drama series nomination and introduced 11-year-old English child star Dexter Sol Ansell to global audiences on the night.