Who wants to be the person to rebuff a request from Capt. Olivia Benson?
This isn’t even an interrogation but her maker, Mariska Hargitay, realizes she has said too much. In a moment of enthusiasm, the actor reveals an idea she pitched to minimize long-winded winner speeches during the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, where she’ll make her debut as host. But it’s too soon to tell if the bit will make it into the ceremony. And she quickly learns spoilers apply to awards shows too.
“I’m not allowed to say that! Spoiler alert! My publicist is giving me a look — can you not write that?” Hargitay says. (Let’s just say, if the plan gets the greenlight, many would consider it a bucket list-worthy prize.)
It’s mid-August and the multi-hyphenate is winding down at a hotel space in Hollywood following an FYC event for “My Mom Jayne,” a documentary she directed about her late mother, actor Jayne Mansfield. She’s had an unrelenting schedule. Earlier this summer, she wrapped her six-week Broadway debut run in the one-woman show, “Every Brilliant Thing.” She’s also begun filming the 28th season of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” which premieres in October. Now, she’s deep in preparation for a massive new challenge: hosting the Emmys — the first woman to do so in 15 years. (It makes a moment, midway through the photo shoot for this piece, feel poignant: “Can you put on ‘The Man’ by Taylor [Swift]?” she asks.)
“Am I scared? Of course I am; I’ve never done this,” she says. “But at a certain point, you have to go: Why not me? Bring it on.”
It’s definitely on. When reached by phone later on the set of “SVU” — this time, less than two weeks before the Emmys ceremony — she offered this quip about her current workload: “I’m sleeping in the squad room right now. I’m sleeping under Fin’s (Ice-T) desk, which is weird because I have a couch in my back office. Most of the [Emmy] writers are sleeping at the [‘SVU’] stage too.”
Cheeky or not, the grind is all too real: “Everybody is bringing their A-game and maximizing every second. We get it done at lunch. We get it done after work. We get it done on the weekends. I’m very aware of this moment that I’m in … I’m getting to do so many things that I do not normally get to do.” Like spending four hours in a recording studio, for example.
She’s already heading into Monday night a winner in tangible ways too. “My Mom Jayne” received two Emmys last weekend — the film won for documentary or nonfiction special, while Hargitay was recognized for directing for a documentary/nonfiction program. Here are edited excerpts from the conversations.
You were backstage at “Every Brilliant Thing” when you got the call from NBC Entertainment boss Pearlena Igbokwe about hosting — and you said you thought you were about to be fired. First of all, respectfully, in what world? But tell me about that call.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you get it, I was like, “Why is Pearlena calling? We got a problem.” I just meant, I hadn’t done anything. I always know when a “congratulations” call is coming, or if there’s something that’s been brewing and she wants to connect with me about them. So this was like, “Wait. Why is Pearlena calling me?” I didn’t think I was fired, but I did think maybe we had an issue we had to deal with.
How did she broach the topic? What did she say about why you’d be right for this job?
She said, “Mariska, how would you feel about hosting the Emmys this year?” I said, “Are you joking?” And she goes, “I’m not. We think you would be the perfect host. You are the face of NBC, and you represent us.” She was very complimentary — “You’ve been doing the show for 87 years.” And at first, I actually couldn’t take it in. I was like, “I got a [Broadway] show. I don’t know where to put that right now.” I said, “I’m so flattered.” But I was stuck on: I’m not a comedian. Look who’s done it historically.
And it can be such a thankless job. There’s so much pressure and judgment.
Thank you for saying it because that’s what I said. I said I needed a few days [to think it over]. And everyone that I talked to [about it], that was the first thing out of their mouths: “This is such a thankless job.” The hosts get ripped, they get dissected, if you will. I don’t need that. But after my experience on Broadway, and how much I loved that, and that was also new to me, and I was very nervous about it, obviously.
And you’re a host in many ways doing that —
Completely. My character is called “narrator.” And I had such an extraordinary time doing that. But terrified there, too, because after I accepted it and we started rehearsing, I said, “What have I done?” It was so daunting. It’s one thing to do Broadway, but to do a one-woman show for an hour and 25 minutes. And I had no break. I went straight into it from “SVU.” Then you turn this corner where you go: That was one of the most challenging things that I’ve ever done in my life. And I can do hard things. It opened up worlds for me. Other people were like, “Oh my God, you can now be yourself” because people who know me, know that I live in a comedy world. I do shtick all day long. So I think Pearlena’s call was well timed. That’s when I went, maybe I could? But also, if I’m horrible, [blowback] it’ll last, what, two weeks? People will get over it. And I just couldn’t pass up this privilege. I have been on my show for 28 years. I just did this play, and I’m a storyteller — it’s what I love. And I love going to the Emmys.
It’s been 15 years since a woman has hosted the Emmys. How do you feel about that?
It’s unbelievable. It’s ridiculous, especially with all the brilliant women out there. But change is hard. It takes a minute to educate people. I like to see the glass half full, and I like to go, “Well, here we are.” Maybe people are doing things differently now, and so that is a very exciting thing. I’m just so honored to be to be handed that crown. I want to do a good job for everyone. And have fun. I’m working with the most amazing team. We have Ariel Dumas [the former head writer and supervising producer of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”] and the Colbert team. I don’t know that I could do better than that.
So between my day job, I get to meet with them at lunch. That I get to do this between busting perps is kind of crazy.
When did the prep work start? How are you managing to balance it with “SVU”?
Well, after the play, I went to Greece and Italy for two weeks. The day I came home, I went from the airport into my living room with 10 writers. It was zero to 60 — pitching, thinking of ideas, them getting to know me. What it looks like since I’ve been back shooting — two or three times a week, we meet at lunch. They are working where I work. They have offices, so I will run there sometimes during the day if I have an idea, or they have an idea and want to pitch me. It’s been this beautiful thing of throwing stuff against the wall. It’s just play at the beginning, and then things start to form. It’s weird talking about that and then going back on set. Sometimes it takes me a minute to switch gears.
I must ask for a cohort of “SVU” fans: What is the likelihood that Chris Meloni will hit that stage? Is this the chance to stage the Benson-Stabler smooch that hit the cutting room floor in Season 24?
[Pauses] Let me think about that. … Like I said, I’m making it all great.
Excuse the hard pivot, but there have been some devastating deaths that have rocked the entertainment world recently — Dolly Parton, Tim Curry. I imagine that’s required some adjustments to the show? How has it been figuring that out?
I think it’s the same as it’s been for everybody. I think there’s a lot of grieving right now. It’s been devastating for so many different reasons. We lost one of our greatest greats today with Gloria [Steinem]. I don’t know that I have the words for that right now. That’s something very deep.
I think the Emmys has had a history of doing extraordinary tributes, and of course, there have been incredible entertainment greats that have given us so much. I’m sure that their lives will be celebrated, although they each need their own show, their own tribute to really do it justice.
What are you excited about? What are you nervous about?
I’m excited about seeing everybody. I’m excited about being there and watching the greatest moments of people’s lives. I’m excited about the unknown and what happens because there’s always magic that night. What am I nervous about? All the normal things — that like my dress falls off, or that a joke doesn’t work, or that I mess something up.
How do you think you’ll unwind after the ceremony is over? Are you going to be hitting the parties or In-N-Out? Are you catching a flight? Are you falling to the floor?
How did you know I was going to In-N-Out? You know what, I’ll tell you exactly what I’m going to do. I think that this has been a very intimate bonding session with the writing team. Everything was very new to me about the process of sitting with a bunch of brilliant writers. I just want to hang with them and celebrate them, and then celebrate all the nominees, and all my friends that have been nominated.
If it goes well and they’re like, “Can you come back again?” — are you game? Or is it one and done for you?
Listen, I’m up for anything. After my play, the shtick was, “I’m quitting my show [“SVU”], and I’m only doing Broadway.
I know things are still being ironed out, but is there a word to describe something we can expect that won’t make sense until we watch the telecast on Monday?
Yes. Let me just think. I want to give you this word, but I have to check it. Can I call you back in five minutes?
OK. Sure. Or just email it.
The email arrives the following morning with the following words: Televised! Or razzle-dazzle.
The post Mariska Hargitay’s 2026 has been busy with a Broadway stint and ‘SVU.’ Next up: Emmys host appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
