Most Memorable Moments at 2026 Emmys, From Taylor Swift’s Cameo to Mariska Hargitay Recreating Nicole Kidman’s AMC Ad

By Carly Thomas , McKinley Franklin , Lexi Carson , Nicole Fell , David Canfield September 14, 2026 10:00pm

The 2026 Emmy Awards had the audience and viewers laughing, crying and cheering during several memorable moments throughout the Monday night show. From Taylor Swift’s surprise cameo with host Mariska Hargitay and Marcello Hernández’s special invites for Zendaya and Harrison Ford to Noah Kahan’s emotional performance during the In Memoriam and Sarah Michelle Gellar shading Hulu, below are some of the most memorable moments from TV’s biggest night.

Sorry Nicole Kidman, Mariska Hargitay is making it clear that Sunday night is TV’s turn at the 2026 Emmys . In the Law & Order: SVU star’s opening monologue, she spoofed Kidman’s beloved AMC Theatres ad. Hargitay said: “No matter how we watch, and even though we’re worlds apart, we’re all still holding a bit of that communal light. And at the end of the day, we come to TV for magic, to laugh, to cry, to care because we need that, all of us — that indescribable feeling that we get when the lights begin to dim, dazzling images on the silver screen. So that I can feel…” Read more . — Lexi Carson Related Stories TV Reba McEntire Expected to Perform Tribute to Dolly Parton at 2026 Emmys TV Paul Anthony Kelly, Shailene Woodley, Matthew McConaughey, Others Tapped to Present at 2026 Emmys

Deborah Vance is having the last laugh. Hacks star Jean Smart has won at the 2026 Emmys for best actress in a comedy series and made history in the process, becoming the first female performer ever to win TV’s highest honor for every season of a series. Smart has now taken home the trophy for all five seasons of Hacks , which wrapped its run this past spring. She has also tied Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the all-time record of Emmy wins by an actress, with eight, having previously won twice for her guest role in Frasier and once for her supporting turn in Samantha Who? When taking the stage, Smart quipped for all the men to stay standing and women to sit down given they are dealing with Spanks, “shoes that are cutting your toes off“ and having to stand up because she‘s old. Read more . — David Canfield

It seems Taylor Swift was conducting her own investigation, alongside Mariska Hargitay, about whether she’ll be making an appearance at the 2026 Emmy Awards Monday night. While Swift wasn’t at the live telecast at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, she did make a surprise cameo during a pre-taped segment that starred Hargitay as Olivia Benson and her other Law & Order: Special Victims Unit co-stars. “The mayor’s office is breathing down my neck, demanding an answer to the big question: Will Taylor Swift be at the Emmys?” Hargitay says at the beginning of the skit. Now, in order to crack a Swiftie case, you’ve got to think like a Swiftie because the Swifties think that everything is a clue to what she’ll do next.” Read more . — Carly Thomas

Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz shaded Hulu’s decision to pull the planned Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot at the 2026 Emmys, and paid tribute the loss of two of the show’s stars.