Rhea Seehorn took the stage after winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the 2026 Emmy Awards.
Seehorn, 54, was honored for her role as Carol Sturka in Pluribus during the ceremony, held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Monday, September 14.
Seehorn appeared emotional as stood on stage to accept the coveted awards. In her speech, she thanked the Television Academy, the voters and her fellow nominees for their individual performances, which she called “brilliant.”
She went on to thank several additional people, including Vince Gilligan, her crew, producers, writers, background artists, family and friends.
“Thank you, Vince Gilligan, for giving me not only the role of a lifetime, but for creating sets where we all get to collaborate, and we are actually made to feel safe to take risks so that we get better as artists,” she said.
Four other actresses had been nominated for the category in addition to TK, including Carrie Coon for The Gilded Age, Chase Infiniti for The Testaments, Keri Russell for The Diplomat, and Zendaya for Euphoria.
Zendaya, 30, has won the category twice for her role as Euphoria’s Rue. She first took home the trophy in 2020, and again in 2022. She’s been nominated for six Emmys in total.
The actress has won 35 awards over the course of her career, including a 2023 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series for Euphoria.
This year marked the third time Russell, 50, was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Kate Wyler in Netflix’s political drama series The Diplomat. She was previously nominated in 2023 and 2025.
Throughout her career, Russell has been nominated for an Emmy eight times. She has also won a Golden Globe for the TV series Felicity.
Coon, 45, was previously nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2024 for her character Bertha Russell in The Gilded Age. She’s received four total Emmy nods since 2017.
Infiniti, 26, received her first ever Emmy nomination for her role in The Testaments, a Hulu drama series based on the sequel to the novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood.
It was the first time Seehorn was nominated in the category for her role as Carol Sturka in the Apple TV sci-fi series Pluribus. She previously received three Emmy nominations, including two for her character Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul.
At last year’s 77th Emmy awards, Britt Lower, 41, won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Helly Riggs/Helena in the science fiction thriller series Severance.
“First, it’s a privilege to even be mentioned alongside such an incredible group of artists. I share this award with my heroic cast and crew, whose work catalyzes mine,” Lower said during her acceptance speech, an honor which marked her first Emmy nomination.
