Mariska Hargitay to Host 2026 Emmys, First Woman in 15 Years

Mariska Hargitay will host the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards, the Television Academy announced. The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star takes the stage at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on Sept. 14. The ceremony airs live on NBC and streams on Peacock.

Hargitay is the first woman to host the Emmys since Jane Lynch in 2011. Before that, Ellen DeGeneres hosted twice (2001, 2005), and Heidi Klum shared duties in 2008. The academy has leaned on stand-up comedians and late-night personalities in recent years – Kenan Thompson (2022), Michael Che and Colin Jost (2018), and Nate Bargatze (2025).

"Bringing important stories into the light has been the heartbeat of my career," Hargitay said in a statement. "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."

Hargitay's connection to the Emmys runs deep. She won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2006 for playing Olivia Benson and earned eight consecutive nominations in that category from 2004 to 2011. She also won a News and Documentary Emmy in 2017 as a producer on I Am Evidence.

The 2026 ceremony marks the 78th Emmys. The broadcast will start at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Trisha Bhattacharya is a Senior Content Producer at Livemint. She holds a Master's degree in English Literature from Lucknow University and previously worked with India Today as an entertainment journalist and film critic.