Emmys 2025 Recap: Laughter, Tears, and Breaking Ground

This year’s 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, held on September 14, 2025 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, delivered the full spectrum sharp comedy, emotional breakthroughs, and some historic wins. Hosted by Nate Bargatze, the show opened with a memorable sketch poking fun at today’s streaming overload and the state of television. Bargatze had the audience laughing early, satirizing niche channels (“a food network for food, a travel channel for travel, and a history channel for aliens”) and offering a quirky mission: keep speeches under 45 seconds, or he’d donate to the Boys & Girls Club. His gag about taking money away for overruns had its first test when Seth Rogen went a bit long and yes, the pot got bigger.

Two of the most moving moments came when Cristin Milioti won her first Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her turn as Sofia Falcone in The Penguin. With tears in her eyes, she admitted she “wrote this on the back of notes I took in therapy the other day, so don’t look at the back.” She thanked her family for “supporting your strange kids and showing me movies very inappropriate for my age.”

The second of the night came when 15-year-old Owen Cooper made Emmy history, winning Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his role in Adolescence. In his first ever acting role, Cooper delivered a performance raw and powerful enough to beat out seasoned nominees like Javier Bardem and Bill Camp. His speech was equally unforgettable — “I was nothing about three years ago, I’m here now,” he said, voice shaking, reminding us that greatness sometimes grows from the smallest seeds of hope and grit. To see someone so young step into that spotlight and own it so fully was inspiring proof that talent knows no age, and that sometimes the future of storytelling is right in front of us.

And finally the most historic win: Tramell Tillman became the first Black man to win the Emmy for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (for Severance) a moment praised for both its emotional weight and its cultural significance. Them And in comedy, The Studio walked away with major wins, including Outstanding Comedy Series, while Adolescence swept the limited/anthology categories.

Here is your full list of Nominees and winners below:

Drama Series

• Outstanding Drama Series: The Pitt (WINNER)

  • Andor

  • The Diplomat

  • The Last of Us

  • Paradise

  • Severance

  • Slow Horses

  • The White Lotus

• Outstanding Lead Actor: Noah Wyle, The Pitt (WINNER)

  • Sterling K. Brown, Paradise

  • Gary Oldman, Slow Horses

  • Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us

  • Adam Scott, Severance

• Outstanding Lead Actress: Britt Lower, Severance (WINNER)

  • Kathy Bates, Matlock

  • Sharon Horgan, Bad Sisters

  • Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us

  • Keri Russell, The Diplomat

• Outstanding Supporting Actor: Tramell Tillman, Severance (WINNER)

  • James Marsden, Paradise

  • Jason Isaacs, The White Lotus

  • John Turturro, Severance

  • Sam Rockwell, The White Lotus

  • Zack Cherry, Severance

• Outstanding Supporting Actress: Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt (WINNER)

  • Patricia Arquette, Severance

  • Carrie Coon, The White Lotus

  • Julianne Nicholson, Paradise

  • Parker Posey, The White Lotus

  • Natasha Rothwell, The White Lotus

Comedy Series

• Outstanding Comedy Series: The Studio (WINNER)

  • Abbott Elementary

  • The Bear

  • Hacks

  • Nobody Wants This

  • Only Murders in the Building

  • Shrinking

  • What We Do in the Shadows

• Outstanding Lead Actor: Seth Rogen, The Studio (WINNER)

  • Adam Brody, Nobody Wants This

  • Jason Segel, Shrinking

  • Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building

  • Jeremy Allen White, The Bear

• Outstanding Lead Actress: Jean Smart, Hacks (WINNER)

  • Uzo Aduba, The Residence

  • Kristen Bell, Nobody Wants This

  • Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary

  • Ayo Edebiri, The Bear

• Outstanding Supporting Actor: Jeff Hiller, Somebody Somewhere (WINNER)

  • Ike Barinholtz, The Studio

  • Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons

  • Harrison Ford, Shrinking

  • Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear

  • Michael Urie, Shrinking

• Outstanding Supporting Actress: Hannah Einbinder, Hacks (WINNER)

  • Liza Colón-Zayas, The Bear

  • Kathryn Hahn, The Studio

  • Janelle James, Abbott Elementary

  • Catherine O’Hara, The Studio

  • Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary

Limited or Anthology Series

• Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: Adolescence (WINNER)

  • Black Mirror

  • Dying for Sex

  • Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

  • The Penguin

• Outstanding Lead Actor: Stephen Graham, Adolescence (WINNER)

  • Colin Farrell, The Penguin

  • Jake Gyllenhaal, Presumed Innocent

  • Brian Tyree Henry, Dope Thief

  • Cooper Koch, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

• Outstanding Lead Actress: Cristin Milioti, The Penguin (WINNER)

  • Cate Blanchett, Disclaimer

  • Meghann Fahy, Sirens

  • Rashida Jones, Black Mirror

  • Michelle Williams, Dying for Sex

• Outstanding Supporting Actor: Owen Cooper, Adolescence (WINNER)

  • Javier Bardem, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

  • Bill Camp, Presumed Innocent

  • Rob Delaney, Dying for Sex

  • Peter Sarsgaard, Presumed Innocent

• Outstanding Supporting Actress: Erin Doherty, Adolescence (WINNER)

  • Chloë Sevigny, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

  • Christine Tremarco, Adolescence

  • Deirdre O’Connell, The Penguin

  • Jenny Slate, Dying for Sex