Emmy Hosts Through the Years: Mariska Hargitay, Kenan Thompson, Seth Meyers and More

Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Emmy Hosts Through the Years: Mariska Hargitay, Kenan Thompson, Seth Meyers and More

TV’s biggest night has been hosted by many notable Hollywood names over the years.

Comedians like Stephen Colbert have been successful in hosting the show over the years. In the past, cast members and alum from Saturday Night Live have stepped up to the plate. Eddie Murphy hosted in 1983 alongside fellow comedian Joan Rivers, while Jimmy Fallon hosted the event in 2010. Seth Meyers also hosted the Emmys in 2014.

Though the 2019 ceremony went hostless, Jimmy Kimmel was asked to take on the role for the 2020 event despite the COVID-19 crisis still being underway.

As the coronavirus pandemic ebbed and flowed, the Emmys attempted to return to normalcy. Following Cedric the Entertainer in 2021, Kenan Thompson was announced as the host for the 74th annual awards show in 2022.

In July 2026, NBC surprised fans when they announced Law & Order: SVU actress Mariska Hargitay would host the ceremony in September 2026.

Scroll down to see which stars have hosted the Emmys through the years.

Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Emmy Hosts Through the Years: Mariska Hargitay, Kenan Thompson, Seth Meyers and More

TV’s biggest night has been hosted by many notable Hollywood names over the years.

Comedians like Stephen Colbert have been successful in hosting the show over the years. In the past, cast members and alum from Saturday Night Live have stepped up to the plate. Eddie Murphy hosted in 1983 alongside fellow comedian Joan Rivers, while Jimmy Fallon hosted the event in 2010. Seth Meyers also hosted the Emmys in 2014.

Though the 2019 ceremony went hostless, Jimmy Kimmel was asked to take on the role for the 2020 event despite the COVID-19 crisis still being underway.

As the coronavirus pandemic ebbed and flowed, the Emmys attempted to return to normalcy. Following Cedric the Entertainer in 2021, Kenan Thompson was announced as the host for the 74th annual awards show in 2022.

In July 2026, NBC surprised fans when they announced Law & Order: SVU actress Mariska Hargitay would host the ceremony in September 2026.

Scroll down to see which stars have hosted the Emmys through the years.

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Mariska Hargitay

For the first time in 15 years, a woman has landed the hosting gig for the Emmys.

“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 statement before the September 2026 telecast. “Whether it’s an actor or a director, a costumer or a sound designer, we are all so privileged to take part in creating television that unites us. Regardless of how, where or when we watch, we are together in our laughter, our tears, our love of stories — and our delighted anticipation to see what happens next.”

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Nate Bargatze

In September 2025, the comedian received mixed reviews for his role as host. (During the telecast, Bargatze tried to shorten acceptance speeches by raising funds for the Boys & Girls Club of America.)

“A lot of reviews did not like that, but it came from a real place of heart,” Bargatze said on an episode of the “Nateland” podcast. “Everybody at home loved it. It was fun and entertaining to see money go down and all that.”

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Eugene Levy and Dan Levy

The Canadian father-son duo — known for bringing the laughs on Schitt’s Creek — served as cohosts for the 2024 program.

"My dad and I are not stand-up comics, so we're coming at it from a very different place," Dan told People before showtime. "But we're both really hard workers and we're determined to make it as great as it can possibly be.”

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Anthony Anderson

After months of delays brought about by the writers’ and actors’ strikes, the 2023 Emmys finally took place a little later than expected.

The We Are Family game show host poked fun at the holdup when the telecast eventually aired in January 2024.

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Kenan Thompson

The Nickelodeon alum became one of many SNL personalities to take on the hosting gig. After Thompson's role was announced in August 2022, Emmys executive producers Reginald Hudlin and Ian Stewart teased big things to come. "He is beloved, and from the time we announced him there's been nothing but positive responses," Hudlin told the Associated Press. "He has these great connections with everyone, and we're going to maximize those connections. ... He's the unofficial mayor of Hollywood."

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Cedric the Entertainer

"I'm very excited that there will be some degree of an audience there, still be some celebs in the room," the comedian told Variety ahead of the 2021 ceremony, which returned to being held in-person amid the coronavirus pandemic. "The virtual aspect of last year, even though I thought they did a great job, that probably wouldn't have been as appealing to me. I'm excited with having some people there. And hopefully, that remains to be true all the way through, until the day."

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Jimmy Kimmel

Hosting the broadcast in 2012, Kimmel famously teamed with Tracy Morgan to fool fans on Twitter into thinking Morgan passed out on stage. The host told viewers to tweet, "OMG, Tracy Morgan just passed out on stage at the Emmys, turn ABC on now!" The comedians actually fooled the Twitterverse. "OMG 25,000 tweets instantly thanks to OMG Tracy Morgan Emmys," Twitter TV announced. "Thanks Jimmy Kimmel!"

Kimmel returned to the Emmys stage in 2016 after a four-year hiatus. “This year’s nominees are the most diverse ever, and the only thing we value more than diversity is congratulating ourselves on how much we value diversity,” he quipped in his opening monologue. “The Oscars are now telling people [the Emmys are] one of their closest friends — we’re not, by the way.”

It was announced in June 2020 that the late-night host would host the ceremony for the third time that September.

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Colin Jost and Michael Che

NBC announced in April that the Saturday Night Live head cowriters and “Weekend Update” hosts would emcee the 2018 ceremony. “We’re proud to be the first duo hosting the Emmys since Jenna Elfman and David Hyde Pierce, and somehow that’s a real fact,” the duo said in a joint statement at the time, per Variety.

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Stephen Colbert

Colbert took his Late Show comedy to the 2017 Emmys. “Can you feel it?” he asked his rapt audience during the show. “This room is crackling with the collective energy of people who, for the past 48 hours, have consumed nothing but distilled water and Crest Whitestrips.”

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Andy Samberg

The SNL funnyman served as the the 2015 emcee. “Buckle your seat belts, Emmy viewers!” Samberg said in a statement before the event. “Like, in general you should buckle your seat belts in your car. In fact, even if you’re not an Emmy viewer, you should buckle your seat belt. It can be dangerous on the road. Also, if you’re not an Emmy viewer, you should strongly consider becoming one this year, because I’m hosting, and it’s gonna be a wild ride. So buckle your seat belts.”

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Seth Meyers

"Having been a nominee and a guest of the Emmys in the audience, that first 10 minutes is the best time to get the audience to laugh . . . you want to be out there when it's hopeful and optimistic, telling jokes, as opposed to coming out in the last hour and saying, 'Hey, I want to try some new material now that you guys are bummed out and want to be drinking,'" the SNL vet told critics before hosting the 2014 show.

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Neil Patrick Harris

How I Met Your Mother's Harris took the Emmy stage for the second time on Sept. 22, 2013, four years after his hosting debut.

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Jane Lynch

One year after Lynch nabbed an Emmy for her role as Glee's Sue Sylvester, the comedienne hosted the annual best of TV bash. Opening the show with a routine alongside Mad Men's Jon Hamm, The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons and Entourage's Jeremy Piven, Lynch also poked fun at Ricky Gervais' controversial turn as host of the Golden Globes. "Poor little Ricky Gervais. Someone didn't get enough hugs from mommy and somehow it's Hollywood's fault," Lynch joked of Gervais.

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Jimmy Fallon

For his 2010 opening number, Fallon channeled Bruce Springsteen — clad in a white tee and jeans — when teaming with Tina Fey, Jon Hamm, Jorge Garcia, Randy Jackson and the cast of Glee to perform "Born to Run." "NBC asked me, the host of Late Night, to come to Los Angeles to host a different show," Fallon later joked. "What could possibly go wrong?"

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Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst, and Ryan Seacrest

The nominees for Best Reality Show Host emceed the telecast to celebrate the category's introduction in 2008. Participating in a series of awkward off-the-cuff skits, the group teamed up one year after Seacrest hosted the show solo, to similarly dismal ratings.

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Conan O'Brien

O'Brien — who hosted the Emmys jointly in 2003 with Ellen DeGeneres and Garry Shandling — poked fun at NBC on the peacock net's telecast in 2006, telling viewers that "halfway through the show, [it] will be canceled."

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Ellen DeGeneres

Hosting the Emmys in 1994 with Patricia Richardson and solo in 2001, DeGeneres found the 2005 Emmys especially sweet: At the annual Daytime Emmy presentation, she took home a Best Prime Time Talk Show Host award for The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

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Garry Shandling

"Garry is really respected and liked by people in the community," Emmy executive producer Don Mischer said of his decision to ask the actor back to host in 2004, five years after his first solo stint. "He puts a lot of time and effort into [his role as host], and he's funny and can roll with the punches — which is important for a live show."

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Brad Garrett, Darrell Hammond, George Lopez, Bernie Mac, Martin Short, Jon Stewart, and Wanda Sykes

Comics unite! The group was among the 11 comedians hired to host the 2003 show, alongside DeGeneres, Conan O'Brien and Garry Shandling.

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Jenna Elfman and David Hyde Pierce

Teaming to helm the 1999 broadcast, the Dharma & Greg actress and Fraiser star were both also nominated at the event. Hyde Pierce took home a Best Supporting Actor trophy for his role as Niles Crane on Fraiser.

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Bryant Gumbel

"I'll do what I do. I'm not going to do anything out of character. It will be a dignified affair," former TODAY show anchor Gumbel said of the Emmys after CBS president Les Moonves courted him to preside over the 1997 show.

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Michael J. Fox, Paul Reiser and Oprah Winfrey

George Clooney's medical drama ER led the 1996 show with 17 nominations the year Fox, Reiser and Winfrey hosted. They nabbed the trophy for Outstanding Drama Series.

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Jason Alexander and Cybill Shepherd

"I don't expect to light the world on fire as co-host," Seinfeld's Alexander admitted before hosting 1995's telecast with Shepherd. How did Alexander prepare for his hosting debut? "I hear Valium is very helpful," he quipped to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch prior to the big day.

Credit: Patricia Richardson and Ellen DeGeneres

Patricia Richardson and Ellen DeGeneres

DeGeneres — joined by the Home Improvement actress — made the first of her eventual four hosting appearances in 1994.

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Angela Lansbury

Following successful Tony Awards hosting stints, Murder She Wrote's legendary leading lady took the lead during the 1993 Emmys.

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Tim Allen, Kirstie Alley and Dennis Miller

Prior to his Home Improvement wife Patricia Richardson's turn at the Emmys, Allen hosted in 1992 alongside Alley (then in her Cheers heyday) and Miller, who had hosted the show the year prior.

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Jane Pauley, Jay Leno and Candice Bergen

Though he delivered no formal monologue in 1990, Leno won raves for his scattered quips throughout the FOX broadcast, offsetting the tepid banter of his co-hosts, who lacked a comedy background.

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John Larroquette

Earning five Emmy Awards throughout his career, Night Court's Larroquette opted out of the 1989 nominations to give his fellow actors their due recognition. Larroquette, known for his role as Dan Fielding, hosted the award show instead.

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John Forsythe

Held in August instead of the traditional September due to the Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, the 1988 Emmys were hosted by the Dynasty and Charlie's Angels legend, who passed away in 2010 at age 92.

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Bruce Willis

1987 was a doubly lucky Emmy year for Die Hard's Willis, who hosted the program and took home an Outstanding Lead Actor trophy for his role on TV's Moonlighting.

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Eddie Murphy and Joan Rivers

A comedic dream team! The beloved comics joined forces to host the 35th annual Primetime Emmys in 1983. The pair had worked together on Saturday Night Live earlier that year, where Murphy was a series regular and Rivers made her only appearance as guest host.

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Tom Selleck

The Magnum, P.I. alum took on the duties as a solo host in 1984. The Blue Bloods actor, who is also a California Army National Guard veteran, is a seven-time Emmy nominee and one-time winner, earning his first and only award, for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, the year he hosted the Emmys.

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Henry Winkler and Cheryl Ladd

The former Happy Days actor and Charlie’s Angels actress teamed up to host the 31st annual show in 1979. Though Ladd has yet to score an Emmy, Winkler nabbed his first win in 2018 for Oustanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Barry. 

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Johnny Carson

As the Tonight Show host, Carson was a go-to as an awards show host. In addition to hosting the Academy Awards five times, the six-time Emmy winner hosted TV’s biggest night four years in a row from 1971 to 1974 — beating a record held by Ellen DeGeneres, Joey Bishop, John Forsythe and Danny Thomas, all of whom hosted the show three times.