Emmys To Feature Female Host For The First Time In 15 Years

For the first time in 15 years, a female host will headline television’s biggest night.

NBC announced on Tuesday that “Law & Order: SVU” star Mariska Hargitay will headline the 78th annual Emmy Awards this fall.

“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 a press release on Tuesday.

Hargitay, who is heading into her 28th season portraying NYPD Capt. Olivia Benson, on the hit NBC crime drama, said she feels privileged to be a part of an industry that creates “television that unites us. Regardless of how, where, or when we watch.”

Benson will be the first woman to host the Emmys since actor Jane Lynch did so in 2011. Past hosts have included Jimmy Kimmel, Kenan Thompson and Stephen Colbert.

Despite this being her first time hosting the awards, Hargitay is no stranger to the ceremony, having earned eight Emmy nominations and one win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series during the nearly three-decade run of “SVU.” She also won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama.

Outside of her acting work, Hargitay is the founder and former president of the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing support to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse and human trafficking. A survivor of sexual assault herself, Hargitay fiercely advocates for an end to the stigmatization of survivors.

“Tell someone you’ve survived cancer, and you’re celebrated. I want the same response for sexual assault survivors. I want no shame with the victim,” Hargitay wrote in a 2024 essay for People Magazine.

Nominations for the 78th Emmy Awards will be announced on Wednesday, July 8. The ceremony will air at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Sept. 14 on NBC and Peacock.