The 78th Emmy Awards 2026 delivered a memorable night for television, with some of the year’s biggest shows and stars taking home prestigious honours. Fans closely followed the ceremony as winners were announced across drama, comedy, limited series, reality, variety and other major categories.
The Pitt, which entered the awards with an impressive 25 nominations, continued its successful awards run by securing major victories, including Outstanding Drama Series. Meanwhile, Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay, which received 19 nominations, emerged as another major winner of the evening, collecting eight trophies.
From Noah Wyle and Rhea Seehorn to Jean Smart, several prominent performers earned honours during television’s biggest awards night.
Here is the complete Emmy Awards 2026 winners list across the major categories.
Emmy Awards 2026: Drama Series Winners
The drama categories featured several major wins, with The Pitt claiming one of the night’s biggest awards.
Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Noah Wyle – The Pitt
Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Allison Janney – The Diplomat
Guest Actor in a Drama Series: Ernest Harden Jr – The Pitt
Guest Actress in a Drama Series: Shailene Woodley – Paradise
Outstanding Drama Series: The Pitt
With victories for Noah Wyle and Ernest Harden Jr, along with the Outstanding Drama Series trophy, The Pitt continued its strong awards-season performance.
Emmy Awards 2026: Comedy Series Winners
The comedy categories proved particularly successful for Widow’s Bay, which picked up multiple awards.
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Jean Smart – Hacks
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Stephen Root – Widow’s Bay
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Kate O’Flynn – Widow’s Bay
Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Rob Reiner – The Bear
Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Betty Gilpin – Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Comedy Series: Widow’s Bay
Stephen Root, Kate O’Flynn and Betty Gilpin all secured acting honours for Widow’s Bay, while the show also walked away with the coveted Outstanding Comedy Series award.
Emmy Awards 2026: Limited or Anthology Series Winners
DTF St. Louis emerged as the major winner across the limited and anthology categories, securing several important trophies.
Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie: Matthew Rhys – The Beast in Me
Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie: David Harbour – DTF St. Louis
Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie: Linda Cardellini – DTF St. Louis
Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: DTF St. Louis
Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: DTF St. Louis
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: DTF St. Louis
The show’s victories across acting, writing, directing and the main series category made it one of the standout performers of the ceremony.
Emmy Awards 2026: Reality, Variety and Other Winners
The evening also recognised achievements across reality television, animated programming, television movies and variety entertainment.
Reality Competition Series: The Traitors
Television Movie: Remarkably Bright Creatures
Variety Special (Live): The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): The Muppet Show
Writing for a Variety Series: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Outstanding Animated Program: South Park
Mariska Hargitay Hosts the 78th Emmy Awards
Another highlight of the evening was Mariska Hargitay taking on hosting duties for the first time.
Best known for her long-running role as Olivia Benson in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Hargitay entertained the audience throughout the ceremony.
One of the notable entertainment moments came when pop superstar Taylor Swift joined her for a sketch, adding another celebrity highlight to the evening.
Zendaya and Selena Gomez Among the Big Names at the Emmys
The awards ceremony also attracted some of the entertainment industry’s biggest stars.
Zendaya and Selena Gomez were among the high-profile celebrities who attended the event, adding further glamour to television’s biggest night.
The ceremony featured several memorable moments beyond the awards themselves, including speeches from winners calling for continued support for new and original storytelling.
Some winners also highlighted the importance of giving creative professionals the freedom to develop fresh ideas without excessive pressure from industry decision-makers.
Widow’s Bay Emerges as One of the Biggest Emmy Winners
With eight trophies, Widow’s Bay emerged as one of the dominant titles at the 78th Emmy Awards.
The Apple TV series entered the ceremony with 19 nominations and secured victories across several comedy categories, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
The Pitt, meanwhile, entered the ceremony as the most-nominated show with 25 nominations and maintained its strong momentum with major drama-category victories.
Emmy Awards 2026: Biggest Winners and Highlights
The 78th Emmy Awards celebrated a wide range of performances and television productions, with Widow’s Bay, The Pitt and DTF St. Louis among the night’s most prominent winners.
The Pitt secured the Outstanding Drama Series trophy, while Widow’s Bay was named Outstanding Comedy Series. DTF St. Louis claimed Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series alongside multiple other honours.
Individual acting winners included Noah Wyle, Rhea Seehorn, Jean Smart, Stephen Root, Kate O’Flynn, Matthew Rhys, David Harbour and Linda Cardellini.
With major wins, celebrity appearances and memorable moments on stage, the Emmy Awards 2026 once again put the spotlight on some of television’s most talked-about shows, performers and creative talent.