Mariska Hargitay to host 2026 Emmy Awards: ‘Television legend is hosting television’s biggest night’

Mariska Hargitay will host the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards, becoming the first woman in 15 years to helm television's biggest awards ceremony.

Mariska Hargitay to host 2026 Emmys

The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star will host the live ceremony on 14 September at the Peacock Theatre in LA Live, Los Angeles. The awards will air live on NBC and stream on Peacock, with the broadcast beginning at 8 pm ET (5 PM PT).

Hargitay's appointment marks a notable shift in recent Emmy hosting choices. In the past several years, the Television Academy and its broadcast partners have largely relied on stand-up comedians, late-night television personalities and comedy actors to lead the ceremony. Kenan Thompson hosted the 2022 Emmys for NBC, while Michael Che and Colin Jost shared hosting duties in 2018. Last year's ceremony, broadcast by CBS, was hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze.

Her selection also makes her only the fourth woman to host the Emmys since 2000. Before Hargitay, the role had been filled by Ellen DeGeneres in 2001 and 2005, Heidi Klum as part of a multi-host format in 2008, and Jane Lynch, who most recently hosted the ceremony in 2011.

HArgitay said in a statement, “Bringing important stories into the light has been the heartbeat of my career. It’s my great honor to host the 78th Emmy Awards — in the 100th birthday year of my beloved NBC — and celebrate this extraordinary community of storytellers. Whether it’s an actor or a director, a costumer or a sound designer, we are all so privileged to take part in creating television that unites us. Regardless of how, where or when we watch, we are together in our laughter, our tears, our love of stories — and our delighted anticipation to see what happens next.”

Hargitay is closely associated with the Emmy Awards through her long-running role as Olivia Benson in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2006 and received eight consecutive nominations in the category between 2004 and 2011.

Beyond acting, she has also been recognised for her work as a producer. In 2017, Hargitay received a News and Documentary Emmy for I Am Evidence, which won the award for Best Documentary.

She has remained a familiar face at the Emmys over the years, regularly appearing as a presenter. Most recently, she participated in a tribute celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Law & Order franchise during last year's ceremony.

With Hargitay now confirmed as host, the 2026 Emmy Awards will mark both a milestone for female representation on the ceremony's stage and a return to a host whose career has been closely intertwined with television's highest honours.