Mariska Hargitay will host the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, airing on NBC on 14 September. NBCUniversal announced Hargitay as host on Tuesday, the day before nominations are announced. The show will also stream on Peacock and will be held at the Peacock Theater, the longtime Emmys home that will also soon host the Oscars.
First woman host in 15 years
Hargitay, 62, has been a signature NBC personality since 1999 as the star of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, one of the longest-running dramas in TV history. She has been nominated eight times for her role as detective Olivia Benson, winning for lead actress in a drama series in 2006. SVU is set to surpass 600 episodes as its 28th season airs this fall. Hargitay has used the platform to become an advocate for sexual assault victims.
Potential nominee and documentary producer
She may be a nominee again this year as the director and producer of My Mom Jayne, a documentary on her mother, Jayne Mansfield. Hargitay was also a TV constant earlier this year as she sat in the front row for the championship run of her beloved New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Rare non-comedian host
The role of airing the Emmys rotates between the “big four” US broadcast networks – CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox – even as their nominations become more rare in the streaming era. Hargitay is the rare non-comedian to get the hosting job, held last year by Nate Bargatze on CBS. NBC is unlikely to see too many nominations in key categories on Wednesday, though the all-time Emmy leader Saturday Night Live always gets its share.
Expected leading nominees
Pluribus from Apple TV and HBO Max’s The Pitt starring the former longtime NBC star Noah Wyle are expected to be among the leading nominees when they are announced by recent winners Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller at the Television Academy in Los Angeles.
