Emmys 2026: Mulaney Bleeped, Colbert Wins After Cancellation — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Mariska Hargitay hosted the 78th Emmy Awards — the first woman to emcee the ceremony in 15 years — opening with a song celebrating TV screens while supposedly watching them on a cross-country flight to the show
- John Mulaney was bleeped by standards and practices mid-monologue while riffing on "men being men" before presenting the best drama actor award, despite what the piece calls an otherwise "epic" set that included a Frank Vincent library-book gag
- Stephen Colbert and his staff won Best Variety Series and received a standing ovation, with Colbert using the moment to call late-night a "fantastic incubator for young people" following what he described only as his "ridiculous cancellation"
- Sally Field, accepting for "Incredibly Bright Creatures," used her speech to take a "not-so-subtle dig" at the ongoing Paramount acquisition of Warner Bros., declaring: "We matter, our voices matter, our diversity and unique storytelling matters"
- The Pitt won Best Drama for the second consecutive year, and Tom Pelphrey earned an acting award for "Task," with his partner Kaley Cuoco watching from the audience
- Taylor Swift made a cameo as a cop in an over-the-top SVU sketch about whether she'd attend the Emmys, capping the bit by silently staring at the camera alongside Hargitay and a fluffy cat
- Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson reunited on TV for the first time in 12 years, and Charlie's Angels stars Jaclyn Smith, Cheryl Ladd and Kate Jackson also reunited on stage
Why it matters: Stephen Colbert won Best Variety Series after what he called his "ridiculous cancellation," using the moment to publicly argue that late-night remains a "fantastic incubator for young people" the industry "has to look after." Sally Field turned her acting win into a direct critique of media consolidation, referencing the still-pending Paramount-Warner Bros. acquisition. Both speeches reframed the ceremony as a platform for industry politics rather than pure celebration.
Ask SkimNews
