John Mulaney delivered a comedic monologue mocking the field of all-male nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the 2026 Emmy Awards on September 14, before revealing Noah Wyle as the winner for his role in "The Pitt."
"This award is for the guys, just men being men," Mulaney exclaimed. "Finally, something for the fellas."
The 44-year-old comedian called the group of nominees, Sterling K. Brown ("Paradise"), Gary Oldman ("Slow Horses"), Mark Ruffalo ("Task"), Rufus Sewell ("The Diplomat") and Wyle ("The Pitt"), "a crop of prom kings."
"They're not soft like the dad on 'Bluey.' No! Guy's a joke," Mulaney quipped. "Since the creation of television, men have been historically unrepresented."
Mulaney's Fake TV History
Mulaney claimed that during the early years of television, "there were no men," and that broadcasts consisted only of "beauty contests and children talking to hand puppets until the early '60s."
"Until a man walked out and said, 'Enough. My name is Fonzie and the president's been shot,'" he added.
He then turned back to the nominees, joking that some "do method acting and some do regular, less annoying acting."
"They can play anything, these nominees," he continued. "Not just doctors. They can play a cop or an FBI agent or a secret agent. And then that's it. No other examples."
The DJ Khaled Bit
In one of the more unexpected turns of the set, Mulaney noted that "it was DJ Khaled who said, 'Real men don't go down on their wives.'"
"But these nominees know that that is BS," he said. "They know there's often less pressure on them if they do that first."
Mulaney then held up a book, "A Guy's Guide to Being a Man's Man" by actor Frank Vincent, which he said he had checked out from the Glendale Public Library. He read a passage aloud: "A man's man can be wearing the best clothes, drinking the finest wine, sitting with the most beautiful woman in Las Vegas, but if he doesn't treat everyone around him with respect and class, he's not a real man's man. He's just a jabroni in a good suit."
The bit drew peals of laughter from the crowd before Mulaney announced Wyle as the winner.
Who Is John Mulaney?
Mulaney is a stand-up comedian and former "Saturday Night Live" writer and cast member known for his Netflix specials and his Broadway show "Oh, Hello." The 2026 Emmys were held at Los Angeles' Peacock Theatre and hosted by Mariska Hargitay, the longtime star of "Law & Order: SVU."
2026 Emmy Winners
Wyle's win for "The Pitt" was one of several major awards handed out during the ceremony. Other top winners included:
- Outstanding Drama Series: "The Pitt"
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Rhea Seehorn, "Pluribus"
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Allison Janney, "The Diplomat"
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Tom Pelphrey, "Task"
- Outstanding Comedy Series: "Widow's Bay"
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Jean Smart, "Hacks"
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Matthew Rhys, "Widow's Bay"
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Kate O'Flynn, "Widow's Bay"
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Stephen Root, "Widow's Bay"
- Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: "DTF St. Louis"
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie: Sally Field, "Remarkably Bright Creatures"
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie: Matthew Rhys, "The Beast in Me"
- Outstanding Variety Series: "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert"
- Outstanding Reality Competition Program: "The Traitors"
- Outstanding Host for a Game Show: Jimmy Kimmel, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"
