Mariska Hargitay collected two Creative Arts Emmys on Saturday night for “My Mom Jayne,” the documentary she directed about her mother, Jayne Mansfield. She hosts the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at the same venue in eight days. The Mariska Hargitay Emmy win also ends a two-decade gap since her last Primetime statuette.
Mariska Hargitay won two Creative Arts Emmys on Sept. 5, 2026, for “My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay,” taking Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program and Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special. She hosts the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
What Did Mariska Hargitay Win at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys?
Hargitay took the directing prize for a documentary or nonfiction program, and the film took Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special. Both awards went to “My Mom Jayne,” an HBO Documentary Films release produced under her own Mighty Entertainment banner.
The film examines the life of Mansfield, who died in a car crash in 1967 at age 34. Hargitay was three years old and in the car, along with two of her brothers. She spent much of her career distancing herself from her mother’s public image before turning the camera on it.
Her husband, Peter Hermann, joined her at the Peacock Theater. Backstage she posed with both trophies alongside her fellow producers.
“My hero and friend Gloria Steinem recently said, ‘Please tell your own story,'” Hargitay said from the stage. She added that she came to know her mother through the telling, and called it an indescribable gift.
A Twenty-Year Gap and an Oscar Snub
This is her first Primetime Emmy since 2006, when she won lead actress in a drama for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” She has eight nominations for that role. It is also her first Emmy as a filmmaker, though she previously won a News and Documentary Emmy for “I Am Evidence” in 2017.
The wins close an awards run that started badly. “My Mom Jayne” premiered in Cannes Classics in May 2025 and won the Producers Guild documentary award in February. The Academy then left it off the Oscar documentary lineup, passing over a film that had beaten three of the eventual nominees.
The film’s third nomination did not convert. Tony Hardmon lost Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program to “Ocean With David Attenborough.”
Who Else Won on Night One of the Creative Arts Emmys?
Night one covered 49 categories across documentary, reality, variety, game show and short-form programming. “The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny” led the evening with seven wins.
“The Traitors” followed with six, including a third consecutive host win for Alan Cumming. That result broke his tie with Jane Lynch and gave him sole possession of third place for wins in the category, behind Jeff Probst and RuPaul Charles.
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” took five in its final season. “The Muppet Show” won four, beating Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” special for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded). “Love on the Spectrum” took three.
Other results included Jimmy Kimmel for game show host, “Jeopardy!” for Outstanding Game Show, “Mr. Scorsese” for documentary series, and Octavia Spencer’s first Emmy, for narrating “Lost Women of Alaska: The Missing.” The night’s biggest upset went to PBS, where “Antiques Roadshow” finally won on its 24th nomination, a drought stretching back to 2002.
Night two runs Sunday, Sept. 6, covering scripted and remaining technical categories. Across the weekend the Television Academy hands out 102 trophies. Neither night airs live. An edited single broadcast runs Saturday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FXX, and streams on Hulu the following day.
When Are the 2026 Primetime Emmys and Who Is Hosting?
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards air live Sunday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, with streaming on Peacock. The ceremony returns to the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
Hargitay hosts. NBCUniversal announced her in July, and she becomes the first solo female host of the Primetime Emmys since Jane Lynch in 2011. She is also a rare non-comedian in the job, which went to Nate Bargatze on CBS last year.
Her statement at the time tied the booking to the network’s centenary. Bringing important stories into the light, she said, has been the heartbeat of her career.
The timing gives her an unusual entrance. Few hosts walk onto that stage having won two awards in the same building nine days earlier.
Key Takeaways
- Mariska Hargitay won two Creative Arts Emmys on Sept. 5, 2026, for directing and producing “My Mom Jayne.”
- The wins are her first Primetime Emmys since 2006 and her first as a filmmaker.
- She hosts the 78th Primetime Emmys on Sept. 14 at the Peacock Theater, live on NBC and Peacock.
Night two closes the Creative Arts weekend on Sunday, and the full winners list will grow before Friday’s FXX broadcast. For more awards-season coverage, see our reporting on the Dancing With the Stars season 35 cast and on Brad Pitt and George Clooney in Venice, follow our ongoing red carpet coverage, and learn more about Runway Magazine.












