Hostess With the Mostest Mariska Hargitay Takes Over TV’s Biggest Night
TODAY are thee 2026 Emmy Awards — and television’s biggest shindig is finally ready to take over Downtown Los Angeles.
The 78th Emmy Awards air live tonight, Monday, September 14, from the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE, beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. You can watch the ceremony coast-to-coast on NBC or stream it live with a Peacock subscription.
And yes, hostess with the mostest Mariska Hargitay is running thee whole soirée. The longtime Law & Order: SVU icon steps into hosting duties as NBC celebrates its 100th anniversary — a fitting assignment for a woman who has spent decades living inside one of the network’s defining television franchises.
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Hargitay is not exactly arriving empty-handed, either. Her deeply personal documentary My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay already picked up two Creative Arts Emmys this year, including Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program. So before she even says hello to the room tonight, sis is already an Emmy winner in 2026.
The night itself is stacked with returning heavyweights and newer contenders across drama, comedy, limited series, reality and variety. The Pitt, Hacks, Widow’s Bay and Pluribus are among this year’s major nomination magnets, while the telecast is also expected to lean into NBC’s century-long television history.
For those of us in Los Angeles, that means the trophies start flying at 5 p.m. PT. East Coast viewers get the traditional 8 p.m. start, but NBC is airing the ceremony live across time zones rather than making the West Coast wait around pretending not to see spoilers. Bless.
So fluff the couch, charge thee phone and decide whether you are watching for the winners, the speeches, the fashions or simply Mariska keeping the room together. NBC and Peacock have both confirmed the live telecast, and Peacock is carrying the ceremony as it happens.
2026 Primetime Emmys Preview: Mariska Hargitay, The Pitt & More
The preview sets up tonight’s 78th Emmy Awards, including host Mariska Hargitay and some of the television contenders heading into the live NBC and Peacock telecast.
Source: Television Academy, NBCUniversal and Peacock.
