NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 8: Mariska Hargitay attends “The Gymnasts Of Fisherman Colony” Premiere during the 2026 Tribeca Festival at SVA Theater on June 08, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Debra L Rothenberg/WireImage)
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NBC will be broadcasting the 78th Emmy Awards this September, with Law & Order’s star and executive producer, Mariska Hargitay, serving as its host. This marks the first time in 15 years that a woman has hosted the event (Jane Lynch hosted the awards show in 2011 on FOX).
Best known for her iconic, dramatic role as Captain Olivia Benson on NBC’s longest-running primetime live-action drama series, Law & Order: SVU, Hargitay will be flexing some of her comedic talent. Before landing the Law & Order role, she trained with the improv comedy troupe, The Groundlings. She also appeared on the popular ’90s comedies The Single Guy and Seinfeld.
“Bringing important stories into the light has been the heartbeat of my career. It’s my great honor to host the 78th Emmy Awards — in the 100th birthday year of my beloved NBC — and celebrate this extraordinary community of storytellers,” Hargitay said in the press release. “Whether it’s an actor or a director, a costumer or a sound designer, we are all so privileged to take part in creating television that unites us. Regardless of how, where or when we watch, we are together in our laughter, our tears, our love of stories — and our delighted anticipation to see what happens next.”
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Monster” Episode 27021 — Pictured: Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson — (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)
Virginia Sherwood/NBC
Hargitay is an Emmy Award-winning actress herself, having won two Emmys throughout her career. In 2006, she received the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and in 2018, for News and Documentary, for executive producing the documentary I Am Evidence. She’s been nominated numerous times for her part in Law & Order: SVU.
“Mariska has earned her place among television’s icons,” said Jen Neal, Executive Vice President, Live Events & Specials, NBC & Peacock. “Few performers have left the kind of mark on television that Mariska has. For 27 seasons, she has brought strength, compassion, and humanity to one of the most beloved characters on TV. As NBC celebrates 100 years of unforgettable storytelling, we can’t think of anyone more fitting to help celebrate the incredible legacy of television.”
Hargitay will take the stage for the 78th Emmy Awards at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater on Monday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT; the ceremony airs live on NBC and Peacock.