Mariska Hargitay, Alan Cumming and Jimmy Kimmel among early winners at 2026 Creative Arts Emmys

Dozens of categories were presented on the opening night of the 2026 Creative Arts Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with more than 100 winners announced across two evenings. The ceremony will be edited into a single broadcast scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12 on FXX, serving as a lead-in to the main Primetime Emmys on Sept. 14.

Mariska Hargitay, best known for her role on "Law & Order: SVU," was among the top honorees, receiving Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program and sharing the Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special award for her HBO documentary "My Mom Jane."

The reality series "The Traitors" secured six awards, including Outstanding Host of a Reality or Reality Competition Program for Alan Cumming, marking his third consecutive win in the category. The show also earned accolades for production design, cinematography, editing, costuming and directing.

Octavia Spencer was recognized as Outstanding Narrator for "The Lost Women of Alaska," while Jimmy Kimmel won Outstanding Host for a Game Show for his work on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" The Late Show with Stephen Colbert added five Emmys, among them Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.

Other nominated programs include "The Pitt," "Hacks," "Widow’s Bay," "Pluribus," "Beef" and "DTF St. Louis," with additional categories to be announced on Sunday, Sept. 6.