The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards took place on Sept. 14, beginning at 8 p.m. Seth Rogen in particular shone as one of Hollywood’s top stars.
Among some of the toughest competition in the television world, Rogen’s “The Studio” made a historic name for itself with 13 awards, setting the record for most wins for a comedy series of all time. In addition to “The Studio,” Rogen won awards in major categories including best directing, writing and lead acting for a comedy series.
“The Studio,” a parody of a Hollywood production company, featured a number of A-list guest stars that contributed to the satirical nature of the show, including cameos from Adam Scott, Dave Franco and Martin Scorsese. Rogen talked about the irony of the show’s topics bringing light to Hollywood culture with real celebrities taking life-accurate roles in a fictional plot.
“In many ways [“The Studio”] is a love letter to Hollywood and I think we try to strike that balance,” Rogen said in an interview to CNN.
Another top series of the night was HBO Max’s “The Pitt,” winning multiple awards including best drama series. The show’s standout award went to best lead actor in a drama series Noah Wyle for his role as “Dr. Michael Robinavitch.” Wyle took home the Emmy after waiting 26 years since his last nomination, ending off his acceptance speech with a ‘thank you’ to medical workers on shifts that inspired the show with their life-saving practice.
One of the most notable celebrities to take the stage as both an announcer and award winner was Steven Colbert, who received multiple standing ovations and chanting from the audience. Colbert received an Emmy for “The Late Show” as the best talk series, which was recently announced to be canceled by CBS in the spring of 2026.
“I realized that in some ways we were doing a late-night show about loss, and that’s related to love because sometimes you only truly know how much you love something when you get a sense that you might be losing it,” Colbert said. “10 years later, in September of 2025 – my friends, I have never loved my country more desperately.”
Netflix’s “Adolescence” set records honoring 15-year-old Owen Cooper as the youngest male Emmy winner in the limited or anthology series category for outstanding supporting actor. Cooper highlighted in his speech that he had just previously been attending drama classes, saying “Tonight proves if you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort zone you can achieve anything in life.”
The night saw a number of upsets that rocked major categories as well as some hit or miss acceptance speeches. “Severance” was on the leaderboard with eight wins and 27 nominations in some major categories. Britt Lower took the best lead actress in a drama series category above Kathy Bates in “Matlock” and Bella Ramsey in “The Last of Us.” Lower made a nod to the series with a notecard on stage reading “LET ME OUT,” with fans buzzing at the acknowledgement of the actress’s character “Helly R.”
Tramell Tillman of “Severance” also made his mark as the first Black actor to ever win best supporting actor in a drama series, joking to his mom in the audience as his inspiration.
“My first acting coach was tough y’all, but all great mothers are,” Tillman said in his speech.
The biggest controversy of the night went to “Hacks” award winner Hannah Einbinder. As the best lead actress for the comedy category, she finished her time on stage with “Go birds, f*ck ICE, and free Palestine.” Part of the comedian’s message was muted and marked the first political moment of the night.
Some of the night’s most wholesome moments apart from the award winners included heart-warming collaborations on stage. Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel of “Gilmore Girls” reunited as presenters in front of a set that appeared to be the duo’s house. The pair bantered with each other with sarcastic comments towards their show’s lack of budget and autumn-focused storyline.
The nostalgia continued with country icon Reba McEntire joining with Little Big Town to perform a tribute to the “Golden Girls” theme song, “Thank You for Being a Friend” in honor of the show’s 40th anniversary.