Emmys 2026: Matthew Rhys makes Emmy history with double wins for ‘Widow’s Bay’ and ‘The Beast in Me’

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Matthew Rhys accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for “Widow’s Bay” during the Television Academy’s 78th Emmy Awards | Photo Credit: AP

Mathew Rhys made history at the Emmy Awards 2026 as he won two honours in different categories on Tuesday (September 15, 2026). Mathew won the lead acting awards in Comedy Series and Limited Series categories, for Widow’s Bay and The Beast in Me respectively.

Mathew previously won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role in The Americans in 2018. The win this year has also made him the first male actor to grab an Emmy in all three lead acting categories. He has been nominated for eight Emmys in total.

The other nominees for lead actor in a limited or anthology series were Riz Ahmed ( Bait ), Jason Bateman ( Black Rabbit ), Charlie Hunnam ( Monster: The Ed Gein Story ) and Oscar Isaac ( Beef ). On the other hand, Matthew beat Yahya Abdul-Mateen II ( Wonder Man ), Steve Carell ( Rooster ), Jason Segel ( Shrinking ) and Martin Short ( Only Murders in the Building ) to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Widow’s Bay scored a total of 19 nominations this year. In the show, Matthew plays Tom Loftis, the anxious, well-meaning mayor of New England. Created, written and showrun by Katie Dippold, the horror-comedy series is set on the mysteriously cursed island, where Tom tries to boost tourism while ignoring the concerns of others. The show premiered in April earlier this year and has been renewed for season 2.

After receiving the honour, Matthew said in his speech, “My apologies to the women who have to stand again.” He then went on to thank Katie and added, “Stephen Root was right. This is purely because of the depraved and twisted mind of Katie Dippold. And her genius really does live in the recesses of her disturbed brain.”

On the other hand, in Netflix’s eight-part crime-thriller, The Beast in Me , Matthew plays a manipulative real estate scion, Nile Jarvis, who is suspected of murdering his first wife.

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