78th Emmys Tap Kahan for In Memoriam, Plan Dolly Tribute — SkimNews
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- The 78th Emmy Awards producers confirmed a tribute to Dolly Parton, who died on Aug. 25 at 80, with Jesse Collins saying 'it will be a very beautiful tribute' while withholding specifics.
- Noah Kahan will perform "Bridge Over Troubled Water" during the In Memoriam segment; Collins said Kahan selected the Paul Simon song because 'it's a song that is very meaningful to him.'
- Mariska Hargitay hosts the Sept. 14 ceremony at the Peacock Theater on NBC, having just won two Emmys over the weekend for her documentary "My Mom Jayne," and her brother is supplying red-carpet olive trees that will be donated to the House of Ruth women's shelter afterward.
- Five categories were moved to Night 2 (formerly the Creative Arts Emmys) to free up telecast time for tributes and winner speeches, per TV Academy chair Cris Abrego.
- Under new variety series voting rules, any nominee receiving 90% of voter "yes" votes automatically wins — Collins joked that 'local news is going to be late' if multiple nominees hit that threshold and each takes the stage.
- Michael J. Fox will receive the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, and reunions are set for the 50th anniversary of Charlie's Angels and the 30th anniversary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz).
- The Sept. 14 NBC broadcast will be the last under the current four-network wheel deal, with license-fee negotiations ongoing and no movement toward a new agreement yet.
Why it matters: The 78th Emmys is the final show under the current four-network rotation, so producers face a structural inflection point while also reworking format — moving five categories to Night 2 created room for an unusually heavy tribute slate anchored by Dolly Parton and Michael J. Fox. The new 90% threshold rule for variety series introduces genuine outcome uncertainty, with Collins openly acknowledging that a multi-winner scenario could overrun the broadcast.
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