Mariska Hargitay Gives Sneak Peek at Sparkly Emmys Wardrobe: “Wanna Play Dress-Up?”
The longtime SVU star will host the 78th Emmy Awards on Monday, September 14, airing on NBC and Peacock.
Mariska Hargitay just gave fans a dazzling peek at the wardrobe she may be wearing when she hosts the 2026 Emmy Awards.
Fans have been counting down the days to the 78th annual Emmy Awards ever since Hargitay was announced as the host of this year’s event, and a recent social media post just gave off big “here’s what Mariska Hargitay is bringing to the table” vibes when the Emmys air on Monday, September 14 at 8 p.m. ET, live on NBC and Peacock.
Mariska Hargitay stuns in a gold sequined dress ahead of the 2026 Emmys
Mariska Hargitay during a portrait session at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards.Photo: Miller Mobley/NBC
On September 2, the longtime star of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit shared a stunning photo on Instagram, featuring Hargitay posing in a glamorous gold sequined gown next to an Emmy Award. Hargitay also added an adorable caption alongside the photo:
Me: Hi Emmy, wanna play dress-up?
Emmy: Yaasss
Me: Gold?
Emmy: Obvi
Hargitay’s fans flocked to the comment section with countless messages of love and support for the star. “How am I supposed to prepare myself for how good these Emmy looks are gonna be if you’re already SERVING looks LEFT AND RIGHT❤️🔥,” wrote one excited fan.
See Mariska Hargitay’s Instagram post, here.
But that’s not the only Emmys preview Hargitay has delivered recently. This portrait session photo shows off another fantastic gown choice with the perfect accessory — an Emmy.
Mariska Hargitay says “we’re doing something different” for the 2026 Emmys
During an August 18 conversation with Deadline, Hargitay spoke about her newest primetime gig, calling hosting the Emmys “such an extraordinary opportunity.”
“I’m at a place in my life where I am excited about doing new things. And if not now, when?” Hargitay explained to the outlet. “It’s such an extraordinary opportunity and I am excited about it. I’m excited to see all the people. I’m excited to celebrate people’s work. I guess I don’t really see it as about me. I see it about being part of something so historic.”
Historically, the annual awards show has been hosted by comedians, like last year’s event, which was hosted by Nate Bargatze, or the 2024 Emmys, hosted by father-son duo Eugene Levy and Dan Levy.
This year will look a little different, but it sounds like Hargitay is up for the challenge. “I’m sort of taking that pressure off myself because there’s so many genius comedians out there that are just so funny and people that just I love and worship and truly make me so happy, but that’s not what they wanted. And so we’re doing something different this year, and I’m excited about that,” Hargitay told Deadline. “And I’m allowing that… I’m going to do the Mariska Emmys,” Hargitay revealed.
Is Mariska Hargitay nominated for any Emmys in 2026?
Yes! The host of this year’s Emmys is nominated for two awards in 2026: Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Directing For A Documentary/Nonfiction Program, both for her work on her directorial debut, My Mom Jayne, a documentary about her late mother, Jayne Mansfield.