The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards drew plenty of star wattage to Los Angeles' Peacock Theatre on September 14, but two of the night's most searched names were nowhere on the red carpet. Jenna Ortega and Sydney Sweeney, whose respective series Wednesday and Euphoria both entered the ceremony with multiple nominations, did not attend, and their absences quickly became one of the most talked-about threads of the evening alongside the arrivals themselves.
Ortega's Wednesday came into the night with six Emmy nominations, but all of them fell into categories that were decided during the weekend's pre-telecast ceremony rather than the televised broadcast hosted by Mariska Hargitay. Reporting on Ortega's absence has tied it to her schedule, noting she has been occupied filming Wednesday's third season this year. No formal statement addressing the absence has been issued by Ortega or her team, and any explanation beyond the nomination-calendar timing should be treated as inference rather than confirmed fact.
Jenna Ortega at the Emmy Awards pic.twitter.com/dryrUBN1CS
— Filmy Shorts (@Bollywoodrule) August 19, 2026
Sweeney's situation followed a similar pattern. Euphoria's final season arrived at the ceremony with seven nominations, spanning categories including production design, cinematography, picture editing, contemporary hairstyling, contemporary makeup and Colman Domingo's guest actor nod, but only one of those nominations was called during the televised show: Zendaya's nod for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Rue. The other six were awarded during the earlier pre-telecast ceremony. Sweeney spoke to Variety in June about the emotional weight of ending her run as Cassie, describing it as the third time she had said goodbye to the character across the show's uneven production schedule, but she has not publicly addressed her decision to skip this year's ceremony. She did post an Instagram promotion for the sports app Novig the day before the Emmys, tied to that Sunday's NFL slate, though that post is unrelated to any stated reason for missing the show.
Sydney Sweeney looked absolutely breathtaking at the 2025 Emmys. ✨ pic.twitter.com/86D1XHMriW
— 𝕾𝖈𝖆𝖗𝖑𝖊𝖙𝖙 💅🏻 (@its__Scarlett21) September 15, 2026
The two actresses were not the only notable no-shows. Keke Palmer had been announced as a presenter ahead of the ceremony but ultimately did not appear. Taylor Swift, who was nominated, was confirmed to be in Kansas City supporting her husband, Travis Kelce, as the Chiefs opened their NFL season against the Denver Broncos, though she still turned up on screen via a surprise cameo in a pre-taped Law & Order sketch built around speculation over whether she would make the ceremony.
Plenty of stars did make the red carpet, giving the night its visual moments regardless of the absences. Zendaya attended with husband Tom Holland, and Noah Wyle, who won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for The Pitt, walked the carpet alongside castmates including Patrick Ball and Taylor Dearden. Julia Garner appeared in a silver Loewe gown, while Hacks star Meg Stalter turned heads with a literal Emmy-statuette look, complete with gold body paint, for her first nomination in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Nicole Kidman, Florence Pugh, Quinta Brunson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ayo Edebiri and Adam Brody were also among those in attendance.
For a ceremony built around two of the year's most-nominated shows, the split between who showed up and who didn't gave the 2026 Emmys an extra layer of interest beyond the winners themselves. With Wednesday returning for a third season and Euphoria now concluded, both Ortega's and Sweeney's next public style moments are likely to come outside the awards circuit rather than on this particular stage.
