Mariska Hargitay hit the ground running as host of the 2026 Emmys.
After making a stunning red carpet appearance with her family, including her husband, Peter Hermann, the Law & Order: SVU star took to the stage for her opening monologue. In addition to poking fun at Nicole Kidman’s viral AMC Theatres commercial, and calling out Martin Short for his time on SVU (IYKYK), she had some things to say about her own career.
Mariska noted that some shows would be celebrating their series finales tonight, but as she said the word “finale,” she had a hard time pronouncing it because she “never had one.” She also joked that NBC is celebrating its 100th year, and that she has been on her hit drama “for all of them.”
The show cut to stars from Quinta Brunson to Keri Russell cracking up at each quip. And of course, fans were also blown away by how natural Mariska is onstage as a host. “Mariska Hargitay should host everything forever,” one person said on X. “Mariska, what a perfect choice for a host. She can do no wrong,” someone else wrote. “Mariska Hargitay is killing it as #Emmys host tonight,” another noted.
Others appreciated that the opening monologue stayed under five minutes. Same.
The n...