Mariska Hargitay had one of the biggest nights of the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys, winning twice for her deeply personal HBO documentary My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay.
Hargitay won Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program, using both acceptance speeches to reflect on storytelling, her late mother Jayne Mansfield, and the recent death of feminist icon Gloria Steinem.
“My hero and friend Gloria Steinem recently said, ‘Please tell your own story,’” Hargitay said while accepting her first award.
“The most important thing we can do for each other is to know each other through stories. I got to know my mother through telling the story. It’s a gift that’s indescribable.”
My Mom Jayne explores Hargitay’s relationship with Mansfield, who died in a car crash in 1967 when Hargitay was just three years old.
When Hargitay returned to the stage to accept the directing Emmy, she again invoked Steinem’s encouragement and expanded the message to other women interested in telling their own stories.
“I just want that invitation to go out, especially to women,” Hargitay said. “I’m so excited to explore and discover and innovate new ways of telling stories from half of the earth’s population because we don’t hear from you enough.” She added that making the documentary required her to recognize that the story belonged to her.
“I’m utterly overwhelmed,” Hargitay shared. “It took me a while when I decided to make this film during the pandemic. It took me a while to realize that this was my story to tell. I could direct it.”
In the Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special category, My Mom Jayne prevailed over John Candy: I Like Me, Marty, Life Is Short, Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! and Ocean with David Attenborough.
For directing, Hargitay was nominated alongside Lawrence Kasdan for Marty, Life Is Short; Michael Bonfiglio for Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man!; Rebecca Miller for Mr. Scorsese; and Alexandria Stapleton for Sean Combs: The Reckoning.
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Colbert, Bad Bunny, Apple among Creative Arts Emmy winners
Hargitay’s wins came during Night One of the 78th Emmy Awards, which honored work across reality, variety and nonfiction programming.
She was not the only first-time winner of the evening.
Octavia Spencer won her first Emmy for Outstanding Narrator for Lost Women of Alaska, defeating a field that included David Attenborough, Jodie Foster and Werner Herzog.
Spencer’s victory also prevented Attenborough, 100, from becoming the oldest Emmy winner ever. He was nominated twice in the category for A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough and Ocean with David Attenborough.
Elsewhere, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earned a major victory in Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, ending Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’s decade-long streak in the category.
Accepting the award, executive producer Tom Purcell acknowledged both Oliver and Jimmy Kimmel.
“I’d like to thank all those who keep late-night going,” Purcell said. “Super important institution in this country, keep the flame burning, guys.”
The Colbert team also won Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series for Colbert Before Air, while The Late Show picked up additional craft wins including picture editing.
The wins come amid continued attention around CBS’ decision to end The Late Show, making the Emmys an unexpectedly emotional victory lap for the long-running program.
Night One also saw strong performances from The Traitors, The Muppet Show and the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show starring Bad Bunny.
Night Two of the Creative Arts Emmys takes place Sunday, September 6, with additional awards for scripted programming, animation, guest acting, television movies and music.
The Creative Arts ceremonies will air as a combined broadcast Saturday, September 12 on FXX.
Hargitay will then return to the Peacock Theater on September 14 – this time as host of the 78th Emmy Awards.
After Saturday night, she’ll arrive with two new trophies in hand.
