Mariska Hargitay drew mixed reactions from viewers for her hosting duties at the 2026 Emmy Awards, with many taking to social media to criticize her performance as 'cringe' and 'incredible.' Hargitay, the first woman to host the ceremony in 15 years, opened the show with a musical number that included nods to Taylor Swift and the television series Game of Thrones.
While some audience members praised Hargitay's efforts, a significant number of online commentators expressed dissatisfaction. "She seems like a very nice person but please never let Mariska Hargitay host again," one user posted. Another commenter directly advised, "To #MariskaHargitay, Don't quit your day job."
Critiques also targeted Hargitay's opening number, with comments such as "mariska hargitay already being an unfunny host…" and "Whoever let Mariska Hargitay do that #EMMYs opening number should be sent to jail." Some viewers found the sequence "rough" despite acknowledging Hargitay tried her best, while others deemed it a "cringefest."
Conversely, some fans defended Hargitay, with one user stating, "Mariska was actually funny AS HELL all night." Another sentiment expressed was, "this intro is cringe but its mariska so its perfectly okay!!"
Nominations for this year's awards were announced in July, with notable snubs including Sydney Sweeney for Euphoria, Jeremy Allen White for The Bear, and the series Stranger Things.
The Pitt received the most nominations with 25, a significant increase from the 13 it garnered last year. The show secured 13 acting nominations, including for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Noah Wyle and for the top honor, Outstanding Drama. Following closely behind was Hacks, with 24 nominations for its fifth and final season, setting a new record for a comedy series.
Widow's Bay, an Apple TV comedy horror series, earned 19 nominations, while the streamer's drama Pluribus received 18. In the limited/anthology series categories, Netflix's Beef led with 16 nominations for its second season. On the broadcast network side, Saturday Night Live received 11 nominations. Overall, HBO Max led platforms with 122 nominations. A total of 555 programs were submitted across 14 categories, a decrease from the previous year's 600 entrants. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremonies took place the preceding week.