Mariska Hargitay opened the 2026 Emmy Awards with “I Love TV Screens”, a Joan Jett parody before turning her monologue on Dick Wolf, Martin Short and Nicole Kidman.
by Paul Cashmere
Mariska Hargitay turned the opening of the 78th Emmy Awards into a celebration and roast of television, beginning with a performance of “I Love TV Screens”, a parody of Joan Jett & The Blackhearts’ “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”, before taking aim at Dick Wolf, Martin Short and Nicole Kidman.
Hargitay made history as the first woman to host the main Emmy Awards telecast in 15 years. The ceremony was held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on September 14, with the NBC broadcast also marking the network’s 100th anniversary. The Television Academy confirmed Hargitay as host earlier this year, describing her as an Emmy-winning actor, director and producer.
The opening musical number was pre-recorded in part and featured New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson, Jennifer Coolidge and Jeff Hiller before Hargitay continued the performance inside the theatre with dancers wearing television screens on their heads. The song transformed Joan Jett’s rock anthem into a celebration of television viewing, with references to several of the shows competing at this year’s Emmys.
Hargitay then took the stage and immediately mined her own career for material.
“The Emmys are celebrating their 78th year and NBC is celebrating its 100th year, and I have been on Law & Order: SVU for all of them,” she joked.
She also pointed out the length of time since a woman last hosted the ceremony.
“I am so incredibly proud to be the first woman to host the Emmys in 15 years,” she said, before adding, “For 15 straight years, Amy and Tina said no,” referring to Amy Poehler and Tina Fey.
Hargitay then turned the joke towards the room itself, saying it was reassuring to see so many familiar faces because of how many celebrities she had “arrested” on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
“You guys have done some unspeakable things. I’m talking to you, Martin Short,” she said, singling out Short for an SVU-related joke.
The Dick Wolf reference was considerably more pointed. Hargitay thanked the “genius behind SVU” and “legendary” creator, then acknowledged the long-running jokes surrounding Wolf’s name.
“Dick Wolf isn’t even his real name. His real name is Richard Penis,” she declared.
The line was a joke. Wolf’s documented birth name is Richard Anthony Wolf.
Hargitay then shifted from comedy into a more sincere reflection on television and storytelling. She said she had been advised to do two things if she accepted the hosting job: not do it, and, if she did, not become sincere.
“I clearly ignored the first, so please join me as I ignore the second,” she said.
She described television as a modern communal light, comparing the screen to the fire around which people once gathered to tell stories. Her remarks became the setup for the evening’s most recognisable celebrity exchange.
As Hargitay began recreating the language and atmosphere of Nicole Kidman’s famous AMC Theatres advertisement, Kidman interrupted from the audience.
“That’s mine. That’s my bit. You can’t do that,” Kidman protested.
Hargitay continued the parody until Kidman again objected, prompting Hargitay’s response: “Zip it, movie lady. It’s TV’s turn tonight.”
The exchange became one of the defining comic moments of the opening, with Kidman effectively becoming part of the monologue rather than simply the target of the joke.
The opening also drew on Hargitay’s unusually long connection with the Emmys. She had already won two awards at the Creative Arts Emmys for her documentary My Mom Jayne, about her mother, Jayne Mansfield. Those victories came 20 years after Hargitay won her first Emmy for Law & Order: SVU.
The significance of Hargitay’s hosting appointment extended beyond the jokes. Law & Order: SVU is entering its 28th season, making her one of the longest-serving leading performers in American television history. Her opening therefore functioned as both a traditional awards-show monologue and a reflection on a television career that has become inseparable from one character and one franchise.
Hargitay ultimately returned to the theme of storytelling, expressing gratitude for the writers, actors, directors and other television professionals gathered in the room. After the irreverence of the Wolf and Kidman jokes, the sentiment gave the opening a more conventional awards-show conclusion.
Watch the monologue here:
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