Emmys Host Mariska Hargitay Brings Her 3 Kids and Husband Peter Hermann to the Red Carpet
The ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ star is the first woman to host the award show since Jane Lynch in 2011
Mariska Hargitay was joined by some special guests at the 78th Emmy Awards.
The Law & Order: Special Victims Unitstar, 62, showed up to TV’s biggest night alongside her three kids — daughter Amaya, 15, and sons Andrew, 13, and August, 20 — and her husband Peter Hermann. The family of five posed together on the red carpet in coordinated looks.
Hargitay, who has won three Emmys for My Mom Jayne: A Film By Mariska Hargitay and Law & Order, and her daughter twinned in similar red sequin and fringe dresses. Meanwhile, Hermann, 59, and the couple’s sons wore matching black suits with bow ties.
Speaking to PEOPLE at the Television Academy’s Emmy press preview on Thursday, Sept. 10, the actress revealed how she’s been preparing to host TV’s biggest night.
“I’ve been preparing by just immersing myself in it,” Hargitay said. “I’m working with an extraordinary team of writers. Very luckily — I can’t believe I even get to say this — [I’m] working with the Colbert team.” (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert already won Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, among other awards, this year at the Creative Arts Emmys.)
“I just feel so supported, and I have the world’s greatest husband who’s just been with me every step of the way,” she added of Hermann, whom she married in 2004. “My kids are excited, and my friends are excited. I am having the time of my life.”
As for what viewers can expect from her hosting gig, Hargitay previously told PEOPLE she had to take an Academy of Arts and Sciences oath to conceal her plans.
“It was a whole thing. A lot of incense, so much reciting,” she joked. “But one thing you can definitely expect is a host who is beyond excited and honored to be there.”
The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star is the first woman to host the Emmys since Jane Lynch in 2011. Celebrating the news, Hargitay said in a previous statement, “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.”
“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,” she added. “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.”
During her Aug. 13 appearance on Today, Hargitay revealed she initially thought the offer to host was a joke. “[Head of the network Pearlena Igbokwe] asked me about it, and at first, I thought she was kidding. I actually thought she was kidding,” she admitted. “It took me a while to process it.”
“I thought, ‘I’m not a comedian, and it’s historically comedians,’ ” Hargitay said. “It was probably the farthest thing from my mind that I thought she was gonna say, so I actually was kind of shocked.”
Her hosting gig comes about a week after Hargitay took home two trophies during the Creative Arts Emmys on Sept. 5, winning Outstanding Documentary and Outstanding Directing for a Documentary for My Mom Jayne.
Speaking to PEOPLE about how it feels to host the Emmys the same year she received nominations, the actress said, “More extraordinary than I have the words to express. I’ve always been so grateful to have dedicated my life to telling stories, and I feel more energized about the power of storytelling than ever before.”
“My documentary about my mom was obviously very personal, but there is so much that I want to chronicle, that I want to give voice to. It feels like an exciting, promising time,” she added.
See PEOPLE’s coverage of the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, airing live on NBC and Peacock on Monday, Sept. 14.