Emmys 2026: Memorable moments and what you didn’t see on TV
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Memorable moments from the Emmys and everything you couldn’t see on TV
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Watch: Highlights from the 2026 Emmy Awards, a star-studded and record-breaking night
By Nardine Saad
Reporting from the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles
Published 15 September 2026, 06:19 BST
Updated 2 hours ago
Welsh actor Matthew Rhys and US actress Jean Smart made Emmy Awards history during TV’s biggest night in Hollywood this year, which brought out stars from the small screen, film, sport and music.
Hosted by Law & Order SVU star Mariska Hargitay – the first woman to host in 15 years – the ceremony was packed with cameos from celebrities, emotional speeches, touching tributes and plenty of banter.
Backstage, the winners continued their celebrations offscreen and answered questions about their wins and some of the ceremony’s most viral moments.
Widow’s Bay reflects on being a sleeper hit and owning the night
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption:
The cast of Widow’s Bay chatted backstage about being the standout winner at this year’s Emmy Awards.
The cast and crew behind Apple TV’s sleeper hit celebrated the supernatural TV comedy’s popular first season, which nabbed six wins on Monday and another eight at the Creative Arts Emmys earlier this month.
Asked about the show being relatively smaller and unknown to some audiences, the cast and creators reflected backstage with gratitude for the grassroots efforts to promote the show through word-of-mouth early on.
"All the people online talking about it, or viewers, or people just tweeting about it, truly like it. That really got the word to spread, and we’re so grateful," said writer and creator Katie Dippold.
Rhys quipped that those people were "predominantly our parents".
"I honestly think we’re just happy that everyone reacted to the scripts the way we did when we read them, and that’s all to thanks to this team," Rhys said.
He said the series was on a "giddy ascent" ahead of the Emmys. Dippold joked that she was terrified thinking that the show might get even more attention with all their Emmy wins.
What it’s like ‘backstage’
The awards sit on a table across the street from the show, where winners will come to get them engraved.
The BBC had a team at the Peacock Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, which was shutdown to traffic and onlookers as celebrities in black cars took over.
Droves of celebrity handlers dressed in black – from their security details to publicists – were posted throughout the area – which also sits across from Crypto.com Arena (home to the LA Lakers). While the ceremony and red carpet is mostly confined to the Peacock Theater, the set-up around it is vast.
Next door at the JW Marriott hotel, ballrooms are converted into press workspaces where celebrities and their teams milled about throughout the ceremony, reuniting cast-mates who haven’t seen each other since they wrapped filming.
The road to this area is long, windy and done on foot. Once a winner accepts their prize on TV, they are taken across the street to get their awards engraved, take photos and chat with reporters.
They are escorted through a series of covered spaces, where they pop into one ballroom specifically for photos, another to speak with reporters, and then on to the next location for more waiting media.
