The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards took place on September 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, and it turned out to be one of the biggest nights for women in the ceremony’s history.
Zendaya was one of the most talked about names heading into the night, nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Rue in Euphoria. It was her third nomination in the category, after winning it in 2020 and 2022 and becoming the youngest actress ever to do so twice. She did not win this time, with the award going to Rhea Seehorn for Pluribus, but her nomination alone kept her firmly in the conversation around the night’s biggest stars.
Taylor Swift also gave the night one of its most talked about moments, making a surprise cameo during host Mariska Hargitay’s opening sketch. The bit was built around a joke about Swift’s cat, which is named Benson, after Hargitay’s character Olivia Benson on Law and Order Special Victims Unit. Hargitay herself made history as the first woman to host the Emmys in fifteen years, and the first host in nearly two decades not primarily known for comedy. She opened the show with a musical sketch alongside New York Knicks player Jalen Brunson before bringing out Swift later in the segment.
Jean Smart made history of her own early in the night when she won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Hacks. It was her fifth win in the category, one for every season the show ran, making her the first actress ever to win the award for every season of a series. The win also brought her career total to eight Emmys, tying her with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the most Emmy wins ever by a performer.
Later in the night, Allison Janney matched that same record when she won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as President Grace Penn on Netflix’s The Diplomat. It was Janney’s eighth career Emmy, and she said on stage that she had not expected to win, having seen a prediction site give her only a two percent chance in the category. Her win meant two women tied the all time Emmy record for acting wins on the same night.
Rhea Seehorn also had a historic night, winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Apple TV’s Pluribus, beating Zendaya to the award. It was Seehorn’s first Emmy win, after two earlier nominations for her work on Better Call Saul.
In the limited series categories, Sally Field won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Netflix’s Remarkably Bright Creatures. It was her fourth career Emmy and her first since 2007. On stage, Field and Reba McEntire paid tribute to their close friend, country music icon Dolly Parton, who died on August 25.
Other women who took home Emmys on the night included Kate O’Flynn, who won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Widow’s Bay, and Linda Cardellini, who won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for DTF St Louis.
Earlier at the Creative Arts Emmys, held on September 5 and 6, Octavia Spencer won for her narration work on the documentary Lost Women of Alaska, and Hargitay herself picked up two Emmys of her own for the documentary My Mom Jayne, for both directing and Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, ahead of hosting the main ceremony just over a week later.
From Zendaya and Taylor Swift’s star power to Jean Smart and Allison Janney’s tied record, Rhea Seehorn’s first ever win and Sally Field’s emotional tribute to Dolly Parton, the 2026 Emmys will be remembered as a night where the women of television took centre stage.
