Jenna Ortega drew widespread attention at the 2025 Emmy Awards for a red-carpet look that observers said evoked an iconic 1990s film, a departure from more traditional awards-show gowns. The outfit, described in media accounts as a revealing top paired with complementary pieces, became a focal point of coverage as the ceremony honored winners across drama, comedy, limited series, variety and reality categories.
The appearance came during an evening that saw HBO’s Severance take home the award for Best Drama Series. The program led a group of winners that also included Adolescence for Best Limited or Anthology Series and The Studio for Best Comedy Series, according to the list of winners released at the ceremony.
Several acting awards went to performers from programs that were heavily represented among nominees. Noah Wyle won Best Actor in a Drama Series for his role in The Pitt, and Britt Lower won Best Actress in a Drama Series for Severance. Tramell Tillman received Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, and Katherine LaNasa won Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on The Pitt. In limited-series categories, Stephen Graham was named Best Actor and Cristin Milioti won Best Actress; Adolescence also earned multiple creative awards, including Best Writing and Best Directing for the limited or anthology field.
The ceremony also recognized writing and directing across genres. Dan Gilroy took Best Writing for a Drama Series for Andor, while Jack Thorne and the creative team behind Adolescence won Best Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series. Adam Randall earned Best Directing for a Drama Series for his work on Slow Horses, and Philip Barantini won Best Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series.
In comedy, Seth Rogen’s The Studio captured the Emmy for Best Comedy Series and Rogen won Best Actor in a Comedy Series. Jean Smart won Best Actress in a Comedy Series for Hacks. The Studio also claimed awards for directing and earned nominations across acting and guest categories. Bryan Cranston won Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for a cameo on The Studio, and Julianne Nicholson won Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her appearance on Hacks.
Variety and reality categories were led by established programs and special events. The Late Show With Stephen Colbert won Best Talk Series, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver took Best Scripted Variety Series, and SNL 50: The Anniversary Special was named Outstanding Variety Special (Live). In reality television, Queer Eye won Structured Reality Program and Love On The Spectrum was named Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program.
The awards season this year highlighted several heavily nominated programs. The Penguin emerged as the second-most-nominated series with 24 total nominations, while The White Lotus received 23 nominations and placed multiple performers in supporting and guest-actor categories. The ceremony also reflected a wide cross-section of networks and streaming services, with winners and nominees coming from traditional broadcast, premium cable and streaming platforms.
The evening included some firsts and notable milestones among nominees. Kathy Bates, nominated for Matlock at 77, was the oldest acting nominee of the year. Filmmakers Ron Howard and Martin Scorsese each earned their first acting Emmy nominations for guest appearances on The Studio.
Organizers presented awards across more than two dozen categories, recognizing achievements in acting, writing, directing and production. The wins for Severance and Adolescence capped a night in which both established series and newcomers were acknowledged, reflecting the television industry’s continued blend of serialized dramas, anthology storytelling and experimental comedy formats.
Coverage of Ortega’s red-carpet appearance and the ceremony’s winners was widespread across entertainment outlets following the broadcast. The Academy’s annual ceremony again served as a high-profile showcase for television’s most visible performers, creators and programs, and underscored the competitive field across drama, comedy, limited series and variety programming.