Rhea Seehorn won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role in "Pluribus" at the 2026 Emmy Awards on September 14, joking on stage that even a beta blocker could not stop her from crying.
The ceremony, held at Los Angeles' Peacock Theater and hosted by Mariska Hargitay, saw Seehorn beat fellow nominees Carrie Coon ("The Gilded Age"), Keri Russell ("The Diplomat"), Chase Infiniti ("The Testaments") and Zendaya ("Euphoria").
"This is me on a beta blocker," Seehorn joked through tears from the stage. "It's pretty bad."
The 54-year-old also thanked her fellow nominees, revealing that Russell had sent the group a "lovely gift and a card" featuring a quote from Gloria Steinem. "We are linked, not ranked," Seehorn said, "and I feel that way about all you women. So thank you for that."
A Long Road With Vince Gilligan
Seehorn had previously received three Emmy nominations for her work on the show "Cooper's Bar" and on "Better Call Saul," the "Breaking Bad" spinoff. "Pluribus" reunited her with "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" creator Vince Gilligan, whose creative process on the new show she likened to tapping into a hive mind.
"That's the secret sauce of the success of it," Seehorn told Deadline in August, adding that the series also benefited from the work of "everybody involved." "It's an incredible crew, department heads, my cast, all the writers, all of the directors and the support of Sony and Apple," she said. "It takes a very giant village to do a show like that, enable it, empower it, and get it on the air in the way that Vince envisioned it."
What Pluribus Is About
With Gilligan at the helm, "Pluribus" gave him room to explore humanity and define happiness and success rather than push a particular message, Seehorn said. The Apple TV drama has proven open to interpretation, with some viewers reading it as commentary on artificial intelligence and others seeing it as a metaphor for grief and depression.
"Vince is feeling very 'yes, and' about everybody's interpretations, as do I," Seehorn said. "But while being in it, we didn't discuss, 'How will this be digested?' I think we knew our RAM space was full with making it."
Other Winners at the 2026 Emmy Awards
Seehorn's win came on a night that also crowned major winners across drama, comedy, limited series and reality categories.
- Outstanding Drama Series: "The Pitt"
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Noah Wyle, "The Pitt"
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Allison Janney, "The Diplomat"
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Tom Pelphrey, "Task"
- Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series: Shailene Woodley, "Paradise"
- Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series: Ernest Harden Jr., "The Pitt"
- 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 Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Betty Gilpin, "Widow's Bay"
- Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Rob Reiner, "The Bear"
- Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: "DTF St. Louis"
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Sally Field, "Remarkably Bright Creatures"
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Matthew Rhys, "The Beast in Me"
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Linda Cardellini, "DTF St. Louis"
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: David Harbour, "DTF St. Louis"
- Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program: "Love on the Spectrum"
- Outstanding Structured Reality Program: "Antiques Roadshow"
- Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program: Alan Cumming, "The Traitors"
- Outstanding Reality Competition Program: "The Traitors"
- Outstanding Variety Series: "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert"
- Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): "The Muppet Show"
- Outstanding Host for a Game Show: Jimmy Kimmel, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"
The Emmy Awards aired live on NBC and streamed on Peacock beginning at 8 p.m. ET on September 14, with E!'s red carpet coverage starting at 5 p.m. ET.
