Mariska Hargitay will host the 78th Emmy Awards on Monday, September 14, becoming the first woman to lead the ceremony since Jane Lynch in 2011. The show airs live on NBC at 8 p.m. Eastern and streams on Peacock.
The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star is also an executive producer of the telecast. She is helping shape the show as well as presenting it.
Why is Mariska Hargitay’s Emmy role historic?
The Emmys have gone 15 years without a woman as host. Hargitay ends that run during the year NBC is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
She also arrives as one of this year’s winners. Hargitay won two Creative Arts Emmys for My Mom Jayne, the documentary she directed and produced about her mother, Jayne Mansfield. She previously won for playing Olivia Benson in 2006 and earned a News and Documentary Emmy as a producer of I Am Evidence in 2019.
When and where can you watch the 2026 Emmys?
The ceremony starts Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m. Central, 6 p.m. Mountain, and 5 p.m. Pacific. NBC is carrying it live across the United States, while Peacock will stream it live and make it available on demand.
The show takes place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. A separate Backstage Live stream begins at 5 p.m. Pacific on Emmys.com and the Television Academy’s YouTube channel.
Who is presenting at the Emmys?
The announced presenters include Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Amy Poehler, Keke Palmer, Jon Hamm, David Harbour, Sarah Michelle Gellar, David Boreanaz, Macaulay Culkin, Sally Field, Dan Levy, and Niecy Nash-Betts.
Gellar and Boreanaz will take part in a segment marking 30 years of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Kate Jackson, Cheryl Ladd, and Jaclyn Smith will reunite for the 50th anniversary of Charlie’s Angels. Noah Kahan is scheduled to perform during the In Memoriam segment.
Will there be a Law & Order: SVU reunion?
NBC has not announced an SVU reunion, a Benson and Stabler sketch, or a special appearance by Christopher Meloni. Hargitay’s hosting role is confirmed, but the network has kept her opening and comedy plans private.
After more than two decades as Olivia Benson, viewers already know she can command a room. Monday is the live test.
