The Emmy telecast gains a familiar face as Mariska Hargitay will host the 2026 Primetime Emmys, a move that frames the ceremony for Monday, September 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, airing live at 5 p.m. PST / 8 p.m. EST on NBC and via Peacock and major live-TV streaming providers.
The Story in Pictures
Hargitay, best known for her long run on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, recently returned to the stage in the Broadway production Every Brilliant Thing, and her mix of television pedigree and stage experience is the marquee credential behind the choice.
The Primetime Creative Arts Emmys took place earlier, on September 5 and 6 in Los Angeles, and yielded several notable wins that set the tone for the main show. Among the Creative Arts results was a posthumous Emmy for Rob Reiner for his role on The Bear. Katie Dippold's comedy Widow's Bay led the creative ceremony with eight awards. Shailene Woodley won her first Emmy in the guest actress in a drama series category for Paradise. Ninety-year-old Julie Andrews added another Emmy to her résumé for voiceover work on Bridgerton, and entertainers Bad Bunny and Sabrina Carpenter secured Emmys for, respectively, a Super Bowl halftime performance and work on The Muppet Show.
Viewers can watch the main telecast on NBC or stream it on Peacock, and the evening will also be available via live TV services including YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, and Sling TV. The full list of nominees for the main ceremony has been released ahead of the broadcast.
The choice of host and the Creative Arts results together shape expectations for which programs will dominate the main telecast and which performers will arrive with momentum. Audiences and industry watchers will tune in on September 14 to see which nominees convert nominations into wins on live television.
