Mariska Hargitay is famous to many through her work with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. However, news has come out that she would be making history with another upcoming role. Since then, fans have been sharing their reaction to the story on social media.
Mariska Hargitay Has Brought Law & Order: Special Victims Unit‘s Olivia Benson To Life Since 1999
Hargitay is the daughter of late actress Jayne Mansfield. An actress herself, she is known for playing Olivia Benson on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
First playing the character of Benson in 1999, Hargitay has played one of the longest-running characters in the history of American primetime dramas. However, news has come out that Hargitay has just added a new history-making role to her resume.
Hargitay was recently tapped to host the 2026 Emmy Awards, which will air on NBC on Monday, September 14. According to Variety, she will be the first woman to serve as the ceremony’s solo host in 15 years.
NBC announced the news with a post on Instagram. As a caption read, “A television legend is hosting television’s biggest night. The 78th Emmy Awards airs LIVE Monday September 14th on NBC and Peacock.” The joint post was also shared by Peacock, the Emmys’ own official Instagram page, and Mariska herself.
Of course, the actress has her own history with the Emmy Awards. She has been nominated eight times for her work on Law & Order: SVU. In 2006, she won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series award. In addition, the show itself has won six of its 23 Emmy nominations over the past 27 seasons.
The Actress Herself Also Spoke About Her New Hosting Position
Speaking with People, Mariska recently opened up about the upcoming role. She shared, “Bringing important stories into the light has been the heartbeat of my career. It’s my great honor to host the 78th Emmy Awards—in the 100th birthday year of my beloved NBC—and celebrate this extraordinary community of storytellers.”
The actress continued, “Whether it’s an actor or a director, a costumer or a sound designer, we are all so privileged to take part in creating television that unites us. Regardless of how, where or when we watch, we are together in our laughter, our tears, our love of stories—and our delighted anticipation to see what happens next.”
Following the announcement on social media, fans have been sharing their reactions to the big news. Law and Order‘s own account even shared, “Mariska gets it DUN DUN.” Many shared praise for Hargitay, as well as noting other roles they would like to see her in. Some comments included:
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- “She needs to host an episode of SNL!”
- “Now if we can only get them a lifetime achievement award since they are the longest running show and she is the longest running tv character.”
- “I am so ecstatic, my girl is hosting the Emmy’s, a must watch now! I cannot wait, yippie!!!”
- “What?! This is amazing! Now let’s get her on SNL too while we’re at it!”
- “Legendary, iconic, she will dun dun that.”
- “The best choice in the world—and it will be the absolute best there is.”
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John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.
