This post was updated Sept. 14 at 11:57 p.m.
Sunday evening’s Primetime Emmy Awards show shone a spotlight on Hollywood’s brightest stars in television.
Live from the vibrant Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards highlighted this year’s most celebrated TV icons on Sept. 14. Hosted by Tennessee comedian Nate Bargatze, the ceremony began with a skit about the birth of television, featuring Bargatze as well as SNL’s Bowen Yang, Mikey Day and James Austin Johnson. With Netflix’s “Adolescence” taking home the most Emmys – eight awards in total – many winners of past Emmys were ousted by fresh competition.
Earning the first title of the evening, Seth Rogen was named Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance as Matt Remick in “The Studio.” Afterward, Jean Smart scored her seventh Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in “Hacks.” Jenna Ortega and Catherine Zeta-Jones then presented the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series award to Katherine LaNasa, who went over the 45-second limit while thanking her co-stars and team at “The Pitt.”
To continue, Jude Law and Jason Bateman presented the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series to Tramell Tillman from “Severance,” which was tied with “The White Lotus” at three nominations in the category. Tillman became the first Black man to win Supporting Drama Actor and emphasized the thanks he had for his mother in his speech.
“You remember what you want to remember, you make time for what you want to make time for. Do the work, show up and – most importantly – for the love of God, don’t embarrass me in public,” Tillman said. “My first acting coach was tough you all, but all great mothers are.”
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Apple TV+’s thriller “Severance” won yet another Emmy with Britt Lower’s first win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Shortly after, Reba McEntire was joined by Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman to perform “Thank You for Being a Friend” to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the hit sitcom “Golden Girls.”
Taking home the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series was LA-born Hannah Einbinder from the HBO Max series “Hacks,” who triumphantly accepted her Emmy and ended her speech on stage with the remark, “Free Palestine.” After comedian and actress Leanne Morgan’s brief flirting with Pedro Pascal and presentation of the winner of the Outstanding Reality Competition Program award – “The Traitors” – Jeff Hiller accepted his award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in the comedy-drama series “Somebody Somewhere.”
“I feel like I’m going to cry, because for the past 25 years I have been like, ‘World, I want to be an actor!’ And the world was like, ‘maybe computers,’” Hiller said in his speech. “I just want to say thank you to HBO for putting a show about sweaty, middle-aged people on the same network as the sexy teens of ‘Euphoria.”
Following a comedic bit between presenters Walton Goggins and Parker Posey of “The White Lotus,” the award for Outstanding Director for a Comedy Series was won by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s work on “The Studio.” In fact, the Apple TV+ comedy series won a record-breaking total of 13 awards – including nine Creative Arts Emmys and four Primetime Emmys – setting a new record for the most Primetime Emmys ever won by a comedy series in a single year.
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Throughout the evening, the ceremony offered various notable moments, such as five-time Emmy winner and host of “Survivor” Jeff Probst highlighting the show’s 50 seasons on air as well as Bargatze changing into a full denim tuxedo before actress Sydney Sweeney took the stage. Shortly after, fan-favorite “Gilmore Girls” costars Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham expressed the importance of a strong script before handing the Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series award to “The Studio.”
Immediately after Saturday Night Live’s “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live), Cristin Milioti from “The Penguin” accepted her first Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
“It’s very hard to make sense of being alive right now in this world, and so I’m deeply grateful for the bright spots,” Milioti said from the stage. “Making this show with our incredible cast and our incredible crew and getting to inhabit this woman was a bright spot for me despite it being very grisly.”
In addition to the earlier award for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, the first season of “The Pitt” also earned Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series which Noah Wyle received for his role as Dr. Michael Robinavitch. He beat out fellow nominees Sterling K. Brown (“Paradise”), Gary Oldman (“Slow Horses”), Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”) and Adam Scott (“Severance”) and dedicated his win to ER workers. In great triumph, the show also took home the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the end of the night.
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Shortly before “The Studio” won the top-notch Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series – beating out contenders such as “Abbott Elementary” and “The Bear” – psychological drama “Adolescence” racked up even more awards before the ceremony’s close. Winning the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, 15-year-old Owen Cooper took the stage to thank “the ones who love me and the ones whom I love.” The show also earned Outstanding Supporting Actress, Lead Actor, Writing and Directing in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and finished the night taking the cake with Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
By the end of the night, Bargatze had tallied up the Boys and Girls Club donation total at a strong $350,000. Musicians Vince Gill and Lainey Wilson performed a song of remembrance, “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” in memoriam of the television industry talents who died in the past year, including Maggie Smith, Quincy Jones and Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Toward the finale, the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series was awarded to CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” which won twice, adding to its total of 33 nominations overall. With cast members chanting “Stephen” on stage, Colbert accepted his Emmy and spoke with gratitude about the show’s decade-long success.
“Sometimes you only truly know how much you love something when you get a sense that you might be losing it,” Colbert said. “Ten years [after starting the show], in September of 2025, my friends, I have never loved my country more desperately. God bless America. Stay strong, be brave – and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor.”’
With applause and bright smiles throughout the audience, the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards celebrated the excellence of this year’s television before saying goodnight.
