Mariska Hargitay named host as 2026 Primetime Emmys set for Sept. 14

Mariska Hargitay will host the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, Sept. 14, the Television Academy said, confirming the actor will lead the ceremony when it airs live on NBC and streams on Peacock. The show is scheduled for 5 p.m. PT and 8 p.m. ET from the Peacock Theater at L.A. (televisionacademy.com) LIVE in Los Angeles. Gold Derby separately listed the same date and start time in a ceremony-details post published Aug. 5. The Sept. 14 telecast is the main Primetime Emmy ceremony for the 2025-26 television season, according to the Television Academy’s awards calendar. The Academy’s Emmy page lists July 8, 2026, for nominations, Aug. 17 for final-round voting and Sept. 14 for the 78th Emmy Awards. (televisionacademy.com) ### When did Hargitay’s hosting role become official? The Television Academy announced Hargitay as host on July 7 in a news post tied to NBC’s fall Emmy telecast. The Academy described her as an Emmy-winning actor, director and producer and said the ceremony would air live on NBC and Peacock. (televisionacademy.com) Gold Derby’s Aug. 5 post did not break the host news for the first time, but it did restate the host and timing details in a campaign-focused forum update. That post listed presenters and performers as “TBA.” ### Where and when will the ceremony take place? (televisionacademy.com) The Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles is the listed venue for the Sept. 14 ceremony, according to the Television Academy. The Academy’s Emmy page also lists the event at 5 p.m., while the host announcement specifies 5 p.m. PT and 8 p.m. ET. NBC and Peacock are the U.S. outlets for the live broadcast and stream. (televisionacademy.com) The Academy’s July 7 announcement said the telecast would run coast to coast, a scheduling detail that matters for viewers and for campaign planning late in the Emmy season. (goldderby.com) ### How does this fit into the 2026 Emmy calendar? July 8 was the date nominations were announced, according to the Television Academy’s awards page. The same page lists Aug. 17 as the start of final-round voting, placing the host and ceremony logistics in place ahead of the final voting stretch. (televisionacademy.com) April 30 was the date the Television Academy said Jesse Collins Entertainment would produce the 78th Emmy Awards airing live Sept. 14. That announcement established the producing team months before the Academy named Hargitay as host. ### What did Hargitay say about taking the job? (televisionacademy.com) Hargitay said in the Television Academy announcement that “bringing important stories into the light has been the heartbeat of my career” and called it “my great honor” to host the 78th Emmy Awards. The statement was published in the Academy’s July 7 release. (televisionacademy.com) NBCUniversal, in a separate corporate post surfaced in search results, also referenced Hargitay as host as part of NBC’s broader 100th-anniversary programming. The Academy’s release likewise tied the telecast to NBC’s centennial celebrations. (televisionacademy.com) ### What still has not been announced? Gold Derby’s Aug. 5 ceremony post listed presenters and performers as still to be announced. The Television Academy’s public materials reviewed here also do not yet name presenters in the Sept. 14 lineup. Aug. 17 is the next dated milestone on the Academy’s published schedule, when final-round voting begins. (televisionacademy.com) The 78th Emmy Awards will follow on Sept. 14 from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, airing on NBC and Peacock with Hargitay as host. (televisionacademy.com) (goldderby.com) (nbcuniversal.com)