The Creative Arts Emmys have begun on a high note, with the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny leading Night 1 with seven trophies.
The first night of the 2026 Creative Arts Emmy Awards took place on Saturday, September 5, at the Peacock Theater in DTLA, celebrating the year’s artistic and technical achievements in television.
Among the night’s biggest winners was Mariska Hargitay, whose documentary My Mom Jayne earned two Emmys for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program. The film explores the life of her late mother, actress Jayne Mansfield.
Alan Cumming also took home the Emmy for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program for The Traitors.
Other major winners included The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, The Muppet Show, Love on the Spectrum, Dancing With the Stars and John Candy: I Like Me.
The Creative Arts Emmys will conclude with Night 2 and the Governors Gala on Sunday, ahead of the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14.
Here’s the full list of winners from Night 1:
BEST DOCUMENTARY OR NONFICTION SERIES
The American Revolution
(winner) — Mr. Scorsese
Rafa
Sean Combs: The Reckoning
The Yogurt Shop Murders
BEST DOCUMENTARY OR NONFICTION SPECIAL
John Candy: I Like Me
Marty, Life Is Short
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
(winner) — My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay
Ocean With David Attenborough
BEST HOSTED NONFICTION SERIES OR SPECIAL
The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize
Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates Jr.
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman
The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy
(winner) — Tucci in Italy
EXCEPTIONAL MERIT IN DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING
(winner) — The Librarians
The Tale of Silyan
BEST STRUCTURED REALITY PROGRAM
(winner) — Antiques Roadshow
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Love Is Blind
Queer Eye
Shark Tank
BEST UNSTRUCTURED REALITY PROGRAM
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
(winner) — Love on the Spectrum
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked
Summer House
Welcome to Wrexham
BEST GAME SHOW
Celebrity Family Feud
(winner) — Jeopardy!
The Price Is Right
Wheel of Fortune
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
BEST VARIETY SPECIAL (LIVE)
(winner) — The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
83rd Annual Golden Globes
68th Annual Grammy Awards
The Oscars
78th Annual Tony Awards
BEST VARIETY SPECIAL (PRE-RECORDED)
Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable…
(winner) — The Muppet Show
Nikki Glaser: Good Girl
Taylor Swift|The Eras Tour|The Final Show
Wicked: One Wonderful Night
BEST SHORT FORM COMEDY, DRAMA OR VARIETY SERIES
Bad Thoughts
(winner) — Colbert Before Air
The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains
The Randy Rainbow Show
SubwayTakes With Kareem Rahma
BEST SHORT FORM NONFICTION OR REALITY SERIES
Hacks: Bit by Bit
(winner) — Inside the Pitt
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette — A Love Untold
Shrinking — In It Together
This Is a Gardening Show
BEST EMERGING MEDIA PROGRAM
Blumhouse Enhanced Cinema
(winner) — Uncanny Alley: A New Day
The World of Fallout
BEST INNOVATION IN EMERGING MEDIA PROGRAMMING
(winner) — Crafting Crimes
BEST HOST FOR A REALITY OR REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM
RuPaul Charles, RuPaul’s Drag Race
(winner) — Alan Cumming, The Traitors
Kristen Kish, Top Chef
Ariana Madix, Love Island USA
Jeff Probst, Survivor
BEST GAME SHOW HOST
Steve Harvey, Celebrity Family Feud
Ken Jennings, Jeopardy!
Colin Jost, Pop Culture Jeopardy!
(winner) — Jimmy Kimmel, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Martin Short, Match Game
BEST NARRATOR
David Attenborough, A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough
David Attenborough, Ocean With David Attenborough
Jodie Foster, Breakdown: 1975
Werner Herzog, Ghost Elephants
(winner) — Octavia Spencer, Lost Women of Alaska
BEST PERFORMER IN A SHORT FORM COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES
Kim Estes, “Big Law”
(winner) — Desi Lydic, “The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains”
Randy Rainbow, “The Randy Rainbow Show”
BEST CASTING FOR A REALITY PROGRAM
The Amazing Race
(winner) — Love on the Spectrum
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Survivor
Top Chef
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY FOR VARIETY OR REALITY PROGRAMMING
(winner) — The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
2025 MTV Video Music Awards
The Oscars
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Wicked: One Wonderful Night
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A NONFICTION PROGRAM
My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay
(winner) — Ocean With David Attenborough
The Tale of Silyan
Tucci in Italy
The Yogurt Shop Murders
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A REALITY PROGRAM
The Amazing Race
Love on the Spectrum
Survivor
(winner) — The Traitors
Welcome to Wrexham
BEST COMMERCIAL
“Backstory” — Levi’s
“Backyard Legends” — adidas World Cup
“A Critter Carol” — Apple
(winner) — “I’m Not Remarkable” — Apple
“Why Do It” — Nike
“Your Way Out” — Coinbase
BEST COSTUMES FOR VARIETY, NONFICTION OR REALITY PROGRAMMING
(winner) — The Masked Singer
(winner) — The Traitors
BEST DIRECTING FOR A DOCUMENTARY/NONFICTION PROGRAM
Marty, Life Is Short
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
Mr. Scorsese
(winner) — My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay
Sean Combs: The Reckoning
BEST DIRECTING FOR A REALITY PROGRAM
The Amazing Race
Love on the Spectrum
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
(winner) — The Traitors
BEST DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SERIES
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
(winner) — The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Saturday Night Live
BEST DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL
(winner) — The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable…
Taylor Swift|The Eras Tour|The Final Show
78th Annual Tony Awards
Wanda Sykes: Legacy
BEST HAIRSTYLING FOR A VARIETY, NONFICTION, OR REALITY PROGRAM
The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Dancing With the Stars
(winner) — RuPaul’s Drag Race
Saturday Night Live
Wicked: One Wonderful Night
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN/LIGHTING DIRECTION FOR A SERIES
Dancing With the Stars
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
(winner) — The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Saturday Night Live
The Voice
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN/LIGHTING DIRECTION FOR A SPECIAL
(winner) — The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
68th Annual Grammy Awards
The Oscars
78th Annual Tony Awards
Wicked: One Wonderful Night
BEST MAKEUP FOR A VARIETY, NONFICTION OR REALITY PROGRAM
Dancing With the Stars
The Oscars
(winner) — Saturday Night Live
BEST MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR A DOCUMENTARY/NONFICTION OR REALITY PROGRAM (ORIGINAL DRAMATIC SCORE)
High Horse: The Black Cowboy
(winner) — John Candy: I Like Me
Kingdom
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
Ocean With David Attenborough
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age
BEST MUSIC DIRECTION
(winner) — The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
The Oscars
Saturday Night Live
Wicked: One Wonderful Night
BEST PICTURE EDITING FOR A NONFICTION PROGRAM
John Candy: I Like Me
Marty, Life Is Short
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
Mr. Scorsese
(winner) — Sean Combs: The Reckoning
BEST PICTURE EDITING FOR A STRUCTURED REALITY OR COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Amazing Race
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Survivor
(winner) — The Traitors
The Voice
BEST PICTURE EDITING FOR AN UNSTRUCTURED REALITY PROGRAM
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
Deadliest Catch
(winner) — Love on the Spectrum
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked
Welcome to Wrexham
BEST PICTURE EDITING FOR VARIETY PROGRAMMING
(winner) — The Muppet Show
Nikki Glaser: Good Girl
Ramy Youssef: In Love
Taylor Swift|The Eras Tour|The Final Show
Wanda Sykes: Legacy
BEST PICTURE EDITING FOR VARIETY PROGRAMMING (SEGMENT)
The Daily Show, “RFK Hospital: An Original Series Inspired by the Medical Advice of RFK Jr.”
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, “Moon Mammoths Game Documentary”
(winner) — The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, “The Late Show closes out its storied run at the Ed Sullivan Theater with help from Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello”
Saturday Night Live, “Home Alone”
Saturday Night Live, “MAHAspital (The New Pitt)”
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR A VARIETY OR REALITY SERIES
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Saturday Night Live
(winner) — The Traitors
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL
The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
68th Annual Grammy Awards
(winner) — The Muppet Show
The Oscars
78th Annual Tony Awards
BEST SOUND EDITING FOR A NONFICTION OR REALITY PROGRAM
Billy Joel: And So It Goes
John Candy: I Like Me
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
(winner) — Ocean With David Attenborough
World War II With Tom Hanks
BEST SOUND MIXING FOR A NONFICTION PROGRAM
(winner) — Billy Joel: And So It Goes
John Candy: I Like Me
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
Ocean With David Attenborough
Tucci in Italy
BEST SOUND MIXING FOR A REALITY PROGRAM
The Amazing Race
Deadliest Catch
RuPaul’s Drag Race
The Voice
(winner) — Welcome to Wrexham
BEST SOUND MIXING FOR A VARIETY SERIES OR SPECIAL
(winner) — The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
The Muppet Show
The Oscars
Taylor Swift|The Eras Tour|The Final Show
BEST TECHNICAL DIRECTION AND CAMERAWORK FOR A SERIES
The Daily Show
Dancing With the Stars
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
(winner) — The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Saturday Night Live
BEST TECHNICAL DIRECTION AND CAMERAWORK FOR A SPECIAL
(winner) — The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
The Oscars
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction 2025
Taylor Swift|The Eras Tour|The Final Show
Wicked: One Wonderful Night
BEST WRITING FOR A NONFICTION PROGRAM
The American Revolution
(winner) — The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize
The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy
BEST WRITING FOR A VARIETY SERIES
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
(winner) — The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
BEST WRITING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL
Chris Fleming: Live at the Palace
(winner) — The Muppet Show
Nikki Glaser: Good Girl
The Oscars
Wanda Sykes: Legacy