Matthew Rhys, Hacks star Jean Smart and Allison Janney made Emmys history with their respective victories on Monday in Los Angeles.
The Creative Arts Emmys, held over multiple nights, saw most awards handed out in the build-up to Monday’s event, when the major honours were dished out.
Rhys and ‘Widow’s Bay’ on top
Widow’s Bay came out the strongest on Monday night, winning 14 prizes, a record for the comedy series and not the only history made by Apple TV’s blended horror property.
Its star, Rhys, was one of the scene-stealers at this year’s Emmys, becoming the first male actor to win two acting awards on the same night.
The Welshman grabbed one for comedy – Widow’s Bay – and another for lead male actor in a limited series – The Beast in Me.
What’s more, his win in 2018 for lead actor in a drama in The Americans makes him the first male actor to win Emmys in all three categories.
Rhys told Entertainment Tonight, “19 nominations, 14 wins (for Widow’s Bay). We’ll go out, and we’ll say, ‘What went wrong? What went wrong? Where did we go wrong? How can we better ourselves?’”
Speaking specifically on his historic triumphs, Rhys said, “For once I’ll be sincere in my life and say I genuinely didn’t think it would happen. I thought I had a shot, you know, with Widow’s Bay, but The Beast in Me took me completely by surprise.”
Smart and Janney ascend to the top
Smart was the other history maker on the night; her fifth Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy for Hacks was of significance.
It marked a win in the category for every season of Hacks, and Smart is now the first performer to be victorious at the Emmys for every season of a show.
Smart’s Emmys tally is now up to eight, the joint-most for a performer all-time.
She shares the honour with three other female performers: Cloris Leachman, Julia Louis-Deyfus, and Allison Janney, who also picked up her eighth win on Monday night for The Diplomat.
“I couldn’t be in better company,” said Smart.
Janney, meanwhile, said, “I am thrilled to be in the company of those women. Are you kidding me? That is a girl gang. I just feel on cloud nine right now.”
The full list of the 2026 Emmys winners
Drama series
WINNER: The Pitt
The Diplomat
The Gilded Age
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms
Paradise
Pluribus
Slow Horses
Your Friends & Neighbors
Comedy series
WINNER: Widow’s Bay
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Hacks
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Nobody Wants This
Only Murders In The Building
Shrinking
Limited or anthology series
WINNER: DTF St Louis
All Her Fault
The Beast In Me
Beef
Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr & Carolyn Bessette
Lead actor in a drama series
WINNER: Noah Wyle – The Pitt
Sterling K Brown – Paradise
Gary Oldman – Slow Horses
Mark Ruffalo – Task
Rufus Sewell – The Diplomat
Lead actress in a drama series
WINNER: Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus
Carrie Coon – The Gilded Age
Chase Infiniti – The Testaments
Keri Russell – The Diplomat
Zendaya – Euphoria
Lead actor in a comedy series
WINNER: Matthew Rhys – Widow’s Bay
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II – Wonder Man
Steve Carell – Rooster
Jason Segel – Shrinking
Martin Short – Only Murders In The Building
Lead actress in a comedy series
WINNER: Jean Smart – Hacks
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri – The Bear
Elle Fanning – Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Lisa Kudrow – The Comeback
Lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie
WINNER: Matthew Rhys – The Beast In Me
Riz Ahmed – Bait
Jason Bateman – Black Rabbit
Charlie Hunnam – Monster: The Ed Gein Story
Oscar Isaac – Beef
Lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie
WINNER: Sally Field – Remarkably Bright Creatures
Claire Danes – The Beast In Me
Carey Mulligan – Beef
Sarah Pidgeon – Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr & Carolyn Bessette
Sarah Snook – All Her Fault
Supporting actor in a drama series
WINNER: Tom Pelphrey – Task
Patrick Ball – The Pitt
Billy Crudup – The Morning Show
Shawn Hatosy – The Pitt
Gerran Howell – The Pitt
Jack Lowden – Slow Horses
Carlos-Manuel Vesga – Pluribus
Supporting actress in a drama series
WINNER: Allison Janney – The Diplomat
Taylor Dearden – The Pitt
Fiona Dourif – The Pitt
Katherine LaNasa – The Pitt
Sepideh Moafi – The Pitt
Julianne Nicholson – Paradise
Karolina Wydra – Pluribus
Supporting actor in a comedy series
WINNER: Stephen Root – Widow’s Bay
Colman Domingo – The Four Seasons
Paul W Downs – Hacks
Harrison Ford – Shrinking
Nick Offerman – Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Michael Urie – Shrinking
Tyler James Williams – Abbott Elementary
Supporting actress in a comedy series
WINNER: Kate O’Flynn – Widow’s Bay
Dale Dickey – Widow’s Bay
Hannah Einbinder – Hacks
Janelle James – Abbott Elementary
Michelle Pfeiffer – Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Megan Stalter – Hacks
Jessica Williams – Shrinking
Reality competition programme
WINNER: The Traitors
Dancing With the Stars
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Survivor
Top Chef
Variety series
WINNER: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Daily Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Saturday Night Live
Outstanding writing for a drama series
WINNER: Vince Gilligan – Pluribus
Debora Cahn – The Diplomat
Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman, R. Scott Gemmill – The Pitt
Valerie Chu – The Pitt
Will Smith – Slow Horses
Brad Ingelsby – Task
Outstanding writing for a comedy series
WINNER: Katie Dippold – Widow’s Bay
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary
Tim Robinson – The Chair Company
Michael Patrick King – The Comeback
Lucia Aniello – Hacks
Anthony King – Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat
Outstanding directing for a drama series
WINNER: Saul Metzstein – Slow Horses
Salli Richardson Whitfield – The Gilded Age
Hanelle M. Culpepper – Paradise
Noah Wyle – The Pitt
Vince Gilligan – Pluribus
Salli Richardson Whitfield – Task
Outstanding directing for a comedy series
WINNER: Hiro Murai – Widow’s Bay
Randall Einhorn – Abbott Elementary
Christopher Storer – The Bear
Andrew DeYoung – The Chair Company
Lucia Aniello – Hacks
Mary Lou Belli – The Ms. Pat Show
READ NEXT – SNL UK returns for a second season: Is George Fouracres the new Bob Mortimer?
