What To Know
- Mariska Hargitay kicked off the 2026 Emmys ceremony with an opening monologue full of celebrity cameos, jokes, and a musical number.
- Hargitay is the first woman to host the annual television awards ceremony since 2011.
- Hargitay is already a two-time Emmy winner this year, having scored awards for her HBO documentary My Mom Jayne.
Mariska Hargitay‘s historic Emmys hosting gig got off to a fun start.
The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit actress took center stage at the annual television awards ceremony on Monday, September 14. After walking the red carpet with her husband, Peter Hermann, and their three kids — August, Amaya, and Andrew — Hargitay took center stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
The show kicked off with a funny prerecorded skit featuring New York Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson. Hargitay broke into a parody song of this year’s nominated shows set to “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, featuring more cameos from Jean Smart and Jennifer Coolidge. Hargitay then stepped onto the stage live with a cast of dancers sporting TV sets on their heads.
Hargitay began her monologue by paying tribute to her longtime role on Law & Order: SVU. “The Emmys are celebrating their 78th year, and NBC is celebrating its 100th year, and I have been on Law & Order: SVU for all of them,” she joked. Hargitay added, “It is so reassuring to see so many familiar faces out there, and I’m just talking about how many of you I’ve arrested on SVU. You guys have done some unspeakable things. I’m talking to you, Martin Short.”
After thanking Law & Order creator Dick Wolf, and joking that his real name is “Richard Penis,” Hargitay ignored advice she got to turn down her hosting role and to avoid getting sincere. “I am truly, deeply moved and so incredibly grateful to be in a room full of people who have dedicated their lives to telling stories,” she said.
As she continued, Hargitay broke into a parody of Nicole Kidman‘s famous AMC ad. “At the end of the day, we come to TV for magic, to laugh, to cry, to care, because we need that, all of us,” she began before Kidman herself interrupted her.
“No, Mariska. C’mon! That’s mine. That’s my bit. You can’t do that,” she told the host. “No, no, no. C’mon. That’s my line. That is actually my line.” Hargitay hilariously retorted, “Zip it, movie lady! It’s TV’s turn tonight!”
Hargitay concluded her monologue by wishing the night’s nominees good luck and introducing the show’s first presenter, Amy Poehler.
Hargitay makes history with her hosting role, becoming the first woman to lead the ceremony since Jane Lynch in 2011. The 2026 Emmys also mark Hargitay’s first time headlining a major entertainment awards show.
Before Monday’s main show, Hargitay scored two awards at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 5. The actress took home awards for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Directing For A Documentary/Nonfiction Program for her HBO documentary My Mom Jayne, which is about the life of her famous mother, Jayne Mansfield.
“My hero and friend Gloria Steinem recently said, she said, ‘Please tell your own story.’ The most important thing that we can do for each other is to know each other through stories,” she said during her Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special acceptance speech. “And I got to know my mom through telling this story, and it is a gift that is indescribable.”
Hargitay continued, “It was such an extraordinary, extraordinary gift to tell this story, and to tell it with experts. And I learned so much in the process, and I got to know my mother, as I said. And so, I just invite you all to tell your stories. And I want to thank my amazing husband, who provided the space for me to do it all, and my children. So, thank you all so much.”
Hargitay concluded her speech by tearfully cheering, “This is for you, Mom!”
In addition to hosting her first awards show, Hargitay made her Broadway debut earlier this year in the play Every Brilliant Thing. She will soon return to the small screen as Captain Olivia Benson on Season 28 of Law & Order SVU, which premieres on Thursday, October 8, on NBC.
78th Primetime Emmy Awards, Monday, September 14, 8/7c, NBC and Peacock