Several performers have previously received two lead acting nominations in one year, including Alan Alda, Sally Field, John Goodman, Elisabeth Moss and Ted Danson. None had converted both nominations into wins during the same ceremony.
Backstage, Rhys spoke about the significance of representing Wales on one of television's largest stages. He said he was proud when the country received opportunities to draw international attention and demonstrate the scale of its talent.
The Beast In Me stars Claire Danes as a grieving author who becomes fixated on a mysterious new neighbour suspected of murder. Rhys described his victory as a “real shock” and thanked Danes for bringing him into the project.
“You are an intimidating scene partner, but I'm grateful for all this,” he told her.
When accepting his comedy award later in the evening, Rhys thanked the relatives, friends and colleagues who had supported his career. That included his parents, who, he said, “kicked me on to the stage at a very early age”. Their plan appears to have produced measurable results.
Kate O'Flynn joins the British winners
Rhys was not the only Widow's Bay cast member to leave with an award. Kate O'Flynn won best supporting actress in a comedy for playing Patricia in the series.
The show follows the residents of a fictional island troubled by a centuries-old curse. Apparently, local government was not already difficult enough.
O'Flynn, who comes from Bury in Greater Manchester, thanked the programme's cast and crew, describing them as the mayor and residents of Widow's Bay both in front of and behind the camera.
“This is the role of a lifetime,” she said. “Thank you for trusting this Lancashire lass to play a sassy broad like Patricia.”
Her victory added to a strong evening for British talent, which also included recognition for Scottish presenter Alan Cumming and nominations for figures including Sir Gary Oldman.
Jean Smart and Allison Janney match an acting record
Jean Smart won best comedy actress for the fifth and final season of Hacks, the Hollywood satire that has now delivered five of her eight career Emmy wins.
“What a ride this has been,” Smart said. She also suggested the audience had given her a standing ovation only “because I'm old”, neatly dealing with the ceremony's usual appetite for prolonged sincerity.
Allison Janney also claimed her eighth Emmy, winning best supporting actress in a drama for The Diplomat. Their totals place both performers level with Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for the most acting victories in Emmy history.
Janney said she was “genuinely shocked” by the result. Her competition included four performers from the hospital drama The Pitt, making the outcome one of the night's less predictable decisions.
Rhea Seehorn earned her first Emmy after winning best lead actress in a drama for Pluribus. The Apple TV series follows a woman who discovers that a mysterious mind virus has taken control of almost everyone else in the world. Television continues to find reassuring material wherever it can.
Why The Pitt claimed the night's top drama prizes
The Pitt won best drama series, traditionally regarded as the ceremony's most prestigious award. Its leading actor, Noah Wyle, also secured best lead actor in a drama for the second consecutive year.
Wyle described himself as a “Hollywood kid” raised on television, with cinemas serving as his “place of worship”.
“This is all I've ever wanted to do and this is the only club I've ever wanted to join,” he said. “Thank you for accepting me.”
The former ER star praised his fellow nominees and singled out Sir Gary Oldman, who was nominated for Slow Horses. Wyle recalled seeing Oldman play Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious in the 1986 film Sid and Nancy.
He said the performance became the standard he hoped to reach in his own career. Decades later, Wyle was accepting an Emmy while competing against the actor who inspired him, which is a fairly efficient way to close that professional circle.
Michael J Fox receives a humanitarian honour
Michael J Fox received a standing ovation as he accepted the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his work supporting people with Parkinson's disease.
The 65-year-old Back to the Future star founded the Michael J Fox Foundation in 2000. Appearing in a wheelchair, he reflected on being diagnosed at 29 and initially keeping the condition private.
“I worried that it would affect my work and my relationships with audiences when they laughed if they knew I was sick,” he said.
Fox later realised that accepting the diagnosis did not require surrendering to it. He began advocating for patients, raising money and supporting research towards a cure.
“When it starts getting tough, you show up, you help, and if you get a little joy while you're doing it, that's even better,” he told the audience.
The award recognised more than two decades of campaigning through his foundation, which has become a major force in funding Parkinson's research and promoting the needs of those living with the disease.
Dolly Parton and Catherine O'Hara remembered
Sally Field led a tribute to Dolly Parton, her co-star in Steel Magnolias, following the country singer's death last month. Field described Parton as “genuine, humble, supportive and blisteringly funny” before introducing a special performance by Reba McEntire.
“She was a humanitarian whose contribution has made a profound difference across our country,” Field said of Parton, who won an Emmy in 2021.
Field had already won best actress in a limited series or movie for Remarkably Smart Creatures. The Netflix film centres on an octopus observing the employees at its aquarium, a premise that turned out to be awards material rather than a marine resources complaint.
Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy and Dan Levy later honoured their late co-star Catherine O'Hara. Culkin, who appeared with O'Hara in the Home Alone films, remembered her as “our mom” and said she always supported him when asked.
“She may have forgotten me... twice! But we will always remember her,” he joked, referring to the films' plots.
Noah Kahan performed Bridge Over Troubled Water during the in memoriam segment. Jamie Lee Curtis then delivered an emotional tribute to actor and director Rob Reiner, who died last December and received a posthumous Emmy the previous week for a guest appearance in The Bear.
Alan Cumming celebrates beautiful treachery
Alan Cumming accepted the best reality competition programme award for the US version of The Traitors. The Scottish host said the recognition would encourage the production team to improve the series and make it even larger.
“It is so beautiful that a show about treachery and betrayal brings people together,” he said, accurately summarising both reality television and many awards ceremonies.
Cumming also thanked his dog Lala, calling her “the perfect co-host”. The acknowledgement placed Lala among the evening's many supporting players, although apparently without a separate category.
Political messages were relatively limited during the ceremony. Cumming provided one of the few by urging US citizens to register to vote before the November midterm elections.
Stephen Colbert signs off with one more Emmy
Stephen Colbert won best variety series after presenting the final episode of The Late Show in May.
In his acceptance speech, Colbert defended the role of nightly talk shows as training grounds for younger television workers. He described them as places where people can learn to work professionally, collaboratively and under constant deadlines.
“That is the future of our business that we have to look after,” he said.
Colbert closed by thanking viewers for watching the programme and said the team had enjoyed making it for them.
“That's it, thank you, and catch you on the flip,” he said.
It was a restrained farewell by television standards. The evening ultimately belonged to Rhys, whose two victories established a new Emmy benchmark and gave Wales a prominent place in a ceremony crowded with records, final chapters and tributes.
