On paper, selecting “Law & Order: SVU” star Mariska Hargitay as host of the 2026 Emmys telecast probably made sense. Hargitay has had a great run recently: Earlier this month, she won two Emmys for her self-directed 2025 documentary, “My Mom Jayne,” which memorializes her mother, Jayne Mansfield. Over the summer, she made her Broadway debut in the Tony-nominated “Every Brilliant Thing.”
However—and this is important—“Every Brilliant Thing” is not a musical. This bears mentioning since Hargitay opened Monday’s Emmys telecast by performing “I Love TV Screens,” profaning Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” in doing so. This was but one of two song-and-dance numbers nobody (except sponsors such as Marriott) wanted, with the second roping in poor Andrew Rannells to sully Supertramp’s “Goodbye Stranger.” His reputation will recover, but will we?
