Emmys 2026: Inside Every After Party of the Long Weekend

Inside all the parties, from Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell reuniting at Netflix to Jean Smart’s belated 75th birthday at HBO Max and the ‘Widow’s Bay’ cast arriving at Apple TV with their Emmys in hand.

The Emmy weekend runs five days now. By the time Mariska Hargitay took the stage Monday night, most of the room had already been to six parties, and a fair number of them had been going since Thursday.

That expansion has changed what these events actually are. The post-show bashes still function as victory laps, and the winners showed up carrying their trophies to prove it.

However, the real business happens in the days before, at the tea parties and dinners and nominee toasts where nobody knows anything yet and everyone is still pretending they don’t care. That is where the honest conversations happen, and this year it is where nearly all the best material came from.

Stephen Root gave the weekend its thesis two nights early, before he had won anything. Sheryl Lee Ralph delivered a lecture on gratitude that half the room needed to hear. Katherine LaNasa explained what it actually feels like to stand at that podium, which turns out to be closer to an abduction than a triumph. And the entire cast of the most nominated show on television spent the whole circuit reminding anyone who asked that they had a 6 a.m. call time Tuesday regardless of how the night went.

Studios, streamers and agencies threw their signature bashes on both sides of the telecast.

Here’s what happened at all the Emmy Parties this week:

Apple TV at Nya Studios West

Apple had the best possible reason to celebrate, having walked away with a network-topping 29 wins across the full Emmy cycle. Matthew Rhys, Stephen Root, Kate O’Flynn, Katie Dippold and Hiro Murai all turned up carrying hardware from Widow’s Bay, while Jeff Hiller took over the DJ booth to work the crowd.

Rhea Seehorn and Vince Gilligan came through from Pluribus, alongside Michael J. Fox, the Shrinking contingent of Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein, Jessica Williams and Michael Urie, Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden from Slow Horses, and Jonathan Tropper and Jon Hamm from Your Friends & Neighbors.

Netflix at Chateau Marmont

Netflix had a quieter Emmy night than usual and threw the loudest party anyway.

The streamer took over Chateau Marmont with bowls of complimentary cigarettes and a DJ set from Lil Jon, who earned every dollar of his fee from a perch above the dance floor. The pool area hit capacity repeatedly, with guests left waiting outside to get in. A caviar buffet ran until midnight, at which point the crowd seemed to collectively remember it was a Monday.

Winners Allison Janney, Matthew Rhys and Sally Field were all there, along with Keri Russell, Chase Infiniti, Emilia Clarke, Charles Melton, Oscar Isaac, Claire Danes, Sarah Snook, Carey Mulligan, Tiffany Haddish, Jude Law and Florence Pugh. Ted Sarandos worked the room like a man running for something. Youn Yuh-jung ate a hamburger with total composure. Queen Latifah spent a while talking to Babyface. And Rhys and Russell finally reunited, his double-winner obligations having kept them apart most of the night.

There were rumors of a bungalow afterparty. Nobody is confirming anything.

HBO Max at San Vicente Bungalows

HBO Max left the Emmys with 21 wins, including The Pitt and DTF St. Louis taking top prizes and Jean Smart’s fifth straight comedy actress statue. She also belatedly celebrated her 75th birthday at the party.

The food program was the most ambitious of the weekend: Chinese dumplings from Good Alley, late-night nuggets and waffles from Howlin’ Rays, the first-ever pop-up from Henry’s Secret Ice Cream, and a caviar and vodka speakeasy hidden inside an elevator. The Knocks handled music, with live karaoke and a custom claw machine stocked with HBO swag.

Noah Wyle, Mark Ruffalo, Jason Bateman, David Harbour, Linda Cardellini, Lisa Kudrow, Steve Carell, Rachel Sennott, Emma D’Arcy, Carrie Coon, Richard Gadd and Meg Stalter all came through.

The Walt Disney Company at Vibiana

Disney took its post-Emmys celebration downtown to Vibiana, where the Abbott Elementary cast and the sprawling Ryan Murphy television universe were the main draw.

Nominees Quinta Brunson, Sarah Pidgeon and Jimmy Kimmel walked the teal carpet, as did Paradise winner Shailene Woodley, fresh off her Creative Arts victory for guest actress in a drama. Emmy Rossum, Paul Anthony Kelly and Kaia Gerber also came through, while Sheryl Lee Ralph and William Stanford Davis kept the Abbott contingent well represented into the night.

MPTF’s Evening Before

The Motion Picture & Television Fund’s 20th annual benefit raised nearly $3 million Sunday at the Pacific Design Center, co-chaired by Stephen Colbert and Evelyn McGee Colbert alongside Janelle James and Lisa Kudrow.

It turned into a reunion night. Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis had a Sex and the City moment. Julianna Margulies and Noah Wyle, ER alums, stuck close together. Andrew Bird and Gavin Brivik performed “Need Someone,” their Emmy-winning song from The Pitt.

W Magazine x Loewe

The most fashion-forward room of the weekend gathered Sunday for a pre-Emmys dinner hosted by W editor-in-chief Sara Moonves alongside Loewe creative directors Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez.

Elle and Dakota Fanning came together, joined by Julia Garner, Kaia Gerber, Paul Anthony Kelly, Rachel Sennott, Odessa A’zion, Sarah Snook, Hannah Einbinder, Matty Matheson, Cailee Spaeny, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Louisa Jacobson, Supriya Ganesh, Emma D’Arcy and Jack Antonoff. Several made it a date night, with Olivia Munn and John Mulaney, Robby Hoffman and Gabby Windey, and Carrie Coon and Tracy Letts all staying close to their partners inside. The Shardstrio of Gerber, Hayes Warner and Igby Rigney turned up together.

FX and Vanity Fair at Chateau Marmont

FX and Vanity Fair returned to Chateau Marmont on Sunday for their annual collaboration, toasting nominations for Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, The Bear, Welcome to Wrexham and Alien: Earth.

Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Anthony Kelly held court as the Love Story leads, with Matty Matheson representing The Bear. FX’s newer series turned out in force as well, with strong showings from the casts of The Shards, The Drop: A Snowfall Saga and Adults. Ryan Murphy stopped in. Danny DeVito and Lucy DeVito made an appearance together.

Warner Bros. TV Group at Boa Steakhouse

The best interviews of the weekend happened here, two nights before the ceremony.

Sheryl Lee Ralph, a four-time nominee heading into her fifth consecutive Emmys, had no patience for anyone treating the invitation casually. “People want to take these things for granted, and I have to remind people sometimes the Television Academy doesn’t have to nominate you, they don’t have to think that you’re one of the best, they do not need to put you on the front row,” she said. “So when you get the honor, respect the honor.”

She also offered the most practical advice anyone gave all weekend. “I make sure that my feet are well-glistened up and I have no pain in my shoes, because it’s a lot of standing, walking and talking, and I stay hydrated,” Ralph said. “I like to mix the champagne and the water because some people think it’s all about fun and games. No, you have to be prepared for the red carpet. The red carpet will trip you up, and don’t get tripped up.”

Noah Wyle, meanwhile, was hoping for a repeat of a very specific 2025 encounter. “Jimmy Kimmel’s guy Guillermo challenged me to a Lady and the Tramp thing with a Slim Jim, which sounds gross, but I hadn’t eaten all day, so that Slim Jim was like the greatest thing I’ve ever eaten,” he said. “I’m hoping Guillermo will be there with more Slim Jims, or else I’m hoping my wife has a big enough purse we can pack some snacks.”

Wyle also confirmed what the entire Pitt cast had been saying all weekend: they were due back on set Tuesday morning, and it was not going to be a gentle return. “Hitting it really hard with a storyline that’s going to be very harrowing,” he said. “Everybody will wonder why we all look like shit for about eight minutes in episode eight, and it’s because we shot that stuff on the Tuesday after the Emmys.”

Jason Segel, Brett Goldstein, Bill Lawrence and Quinta Brunson also attended, alongside Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin, Steve Carell and Danielle Deadwyler, and The Voice coach Riley Green, who performed.

Netflix Pre-Emmys Toast

Two nights before the streamer’s Chateau Marmont blowout, Ted Sarandos, Bela Bajaria and Jinny Howe gathered Netflix’s nominated talent for a quieter Sunday toast at Sunset Tower.

Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell came through together, as did Jason Bateman, Charles Melton, Sally Field and Charlie Hunnam, most of them squeezing it into an already impossible party schedule. Jake Schreier, Cailee Spaeny and David Harbour worked the room, and Suzanna Son joined Hunnam and Bajaria. By Monday night, four people in that room would be holding trophies.

BAFTA TV Tea Party at the Maybourne

Stephen Root arrived with the weekend’s best philosophy. “This is the best day just because this is party day,” he said. “The nomination is the win and the trophy is the party, and that’s what we’re doing today.” He then won two nights later.

Katherine LaNasa, who won last year, explained why she was writing a speech in advance this time. “I realized last year that no one tells you to do it, and when you get up onto the stage, it’s like the aliens have come to take you away,” she said. “There’s bright lights and you leave your body. I told Gerran to write something, no matter what just write something. I left my body so big time, I thought I whiffed the whole thing but it was alright. So I do it out of respect for the audience.”

THR counted a dozen Pitt cast members on the terrace. Kaley Cuoco and Tom Pelphrey, engaged and expecting, were overheard wishing Root luck. Sarah Snook, Sarah Pidgeon, Richard Gadd, Karolina Wydra, Jessica Williams and Michael Urie worked the room.

Emmy Nominees Night

The Hollywood Reporter and SAG-AFTRA teamed up Saturday for Emmy Nominees Night at Chateau Marmont, presented by Snapchat and Waymo, taking over the pool area for the weekend’s first real gathering of the full field.

The Pitt contingent arrived deep and mostly together. Ernest Harden Jr., who had won guest actor at the previous weekend’s Creative Arts ceremony, carried his Emmy around the party all night as an accessory. Rhea Seehorn, Richard Gadd, Shrinking‘s Michael Urie and Jessica Williams, the Hacks trio of Lucia Aniello, Jen Statsky and Paul W. Downs, Euphoria‘s Chloe Cherry, and the Widow’s Bay team of Kingston Rumi Southwick, Dale Dickey, Jeff Hiller, K Callan and creator Katie Dippold all filled out the room.

NBCUniversal at Sunset Tower

Two nights before hosting, Hargitay took the night off at NBCU’s party with husband Peter Hermann. She had already won two Emmys this cycle for her documentary My Mom Jayne, both at Creative Arts.

She mingled with Sarah Snook, Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy, while Linda Cardellini, another early winner, worked the room. Donna Langley, Mike Cavanagh, Pearlena Igbokwe, Mike Schur, Shawn Hatosy, Janelle James, Laverne Cox, David Boreanaz, Peter Krause, David Alan Grier and Lance Bass attended, alongside a substantial Housewives contingent. Lorne Michaels was photographed smiling, which THR noted as newsworthy.

WME at Avra Beverly Hills

The weekend’s least expected pairing: Saturday Night Live boss Lorne Michaels deep in conversation with George R.R. Martin. The exec-heavy garden party also drew Casey Bloys, Francesca Orsi, Jinny Howe, Karey Burke and Pearlena Igbokwe, plus Riz Ahmed, Katherine LaNasa, Katie Dippold and Noah Wyle, a newly signed WME client.

UTA’s Hacks Send-Off at Spago

The Friday before the ceremony, Hacks co-creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky gathered their collaborators at Spago to toast the show’s five-season run. Guests were greeted by women dressed as Las Vegas showgirls.

Downs used his champagne toast to acknowledge the date, September 11, with a joke about Deborah Vance choosing to play Madison Square Garden on that exact day in the show’s penultimate episode. Jean Smart raised a glass along with the room, though she was drinking a martini.

One House Toast to the Emmys

old House opened the weekend Thursday at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills with a toast to this year’s multicultural nominees, drawing cast and creatives from Beef, Bridgerton, The Pitt and Abbott Elementary.

“Having people here to support makes a difference; you never know who you’ll run into or what conversation turns into what,” Beef creator Lee Sung Jin told the room. “I’m really grateful that we get to do this and do it together.”

Courtesy of WME, the party featured Beef-themed food and drinks, though the cocktails contained no actual red meat. Brandon Perea, Gold House’s Bing Chen, Phineas Yoon and Sepideh Moafi were among those in attendance.

Joanthan P. Moustakas

Jonathan P. Moustakas founded The Cinema Group in 2020 during the challenges of the pandemic, after losing the vital ability to find community in theaters and escape through the captivating magic of cinema. Feeling profoundly cut off from the vibrant film community he cherished, he sought to create a welcoming home for dedicated cinema fans while providing engaging, daily curated content that resonates with their passions. Years later, The Cinema Group has blossomed from a small collective of loyal fans into a thriving brand that reaches millions of audiences every month across a diverse array of platforms and mediums.

See Full Bio