{"id":5234,"date":"2026-08-13T22:31:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T22:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=5234"},"modified":"2026-08-13T22:31:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T22:31:21","slug":"mariska-hargitay-reveals-how-she-decided-to-host-the-emmys-why-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=5234","title":{"rendered":"Mariska Hargitay Reveals How She Decided to Host the Emmys: \u201cWhy Not?\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tWhen Mariska Hargitay was announced as host of the 2026 Emmys, the Law & Order: SVU<\/em> star seemed like a surprising choice: After all, she\u2019s not a comedian or a TV host like most awards show emcees.<\/p>\n

Read more When and Where to Watch \u2018Camp Rock 3\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tAnd it seems like Hargitay herself was surprised, even \u201cshocked,\u201d when she got the call to host, particularly since it came from a top NBCUniversal exec.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI was backstage, doing my play, and I was about to go on and I got a call,\u201d Hargitay said on Thursday\u2019s Today<\/em> show of getting the ask while performing in Every Brilliant Thing<\/em> on Broadway. \u201cIt was Pearlena [Igbokwe], who\u2019s head of the network, and I thought, \u2018Oh, I should answer this. Am I getting fired?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBut no, Igbokwe, who serves as chairman of television studios, NBC Entertainment and Peacock scripted, was asking her about hosting the Emmys.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI thought she was kidding. I actually thought she was kidding,\u201d Hargitay said, adding that she \u201ccouldn\u2019t understand\u201d why she was being offered the job, \u201cbecause I thought, \u2018I\u2019m not a comedian, and it\u2019s historically comedians.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIndeed, Hargitay is the first Emmys host not primarily known for comedy to preside over the telecast since the reality-host-led Emmys in 2008.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt was probably the farthest thing from my mind that I thought she was gonna say, so I actually was kind of shocked,\u201d she said, adding that she told her boss she would think about it.<\/p>\n

Read more Ousted Disney CEO Bob Chapek Writing Tell-All Memoir<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThat day was a very different show,\u201d she joked.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI thought about it over the weekend,\u201d Hargitay recalled. \u201cAnd then I started going, \u2018Why not?\u2019 which is where I kind of am in my life. I was so incredibly honored and knowing it was the first woman in 15 years [to host the Emmys since 2011 host Jane Lynch] was absolutely thrilling, and I am somebody to take on new challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHargitay may be new to hosting the Emmys, but she\u2019s already an Emmy winner, picking up a trophy in 2006 for her role as Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU<\/em>, the longest-running primetime drama in U.S. TV history, which begins its 28th season on NBC in the fall.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd her HBO documentary about her mother, Jayne Mansfield, My Mom Jayne<\/em>, is up for three Emmys, including best documentary or nonfiction special, best directing for Hargitay and best cinematography.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a statement when she was announced as the Emmys host, Hargitay said, \u201cBringing important stories into the light has been the heartbeat of my career. It\u2019s my great honor to host the 78th Emmy Awards \u2014 in the 100th birthday year of my beloved NBC \u2014 and celebrate this extraordinary community of storytellers. Whether it\u2019s 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 \u2014 and our delighted anticipation to see what happens next.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Emmys telecast is set for Monday, Sept. 14, live on NBC and Peacock starting at 8 p.m. ET\/ 5 p.m. PT from the Peacock Theater.<\/p>\n

\n\tGoing into the 78th annual Emmys, with voting for the winners running from Aug. 17-26, The Pitt<\/em> leads this year\u2019s nominees with 25 nods, followed by Hacks<\/em> with 24 nominations, a record for a comedy series, and Widow\u2019s Bay<\/em> with 19 nods, leading all new shows.<\/p>\n

Read more Asia Argento Discusses Playing \u201ca Racist,\u201d Locarno Honor and Exec-Producing a Gia Carangi Doc<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mariska Hargitay talks about getting the call to host the 2026 Emmys and why she decided to host the awards show despite not being a comedian.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5233,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[245,826,936,827,3379,3380,1493],"class_list":["post-5234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-awards","tag-emmy-awards","tag-emmys","tag-emmys-2026","tag-mariska-hargitay","tag-pearlena-igbokwe","tag-today"],"yoast_head":"\nMariska Hargitay Reveals How She Decided to Host the Emmys: \u201cWhy Not?\u201d - US Property Moves<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=5234\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mariska Hargitay Reveals How She Decided to Host the Emmys: \u201cWhy Not?\u201d - 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