Why the 2026 Emmys took place on Monday and not Sunday
By Katemarthason Okudo, September 15, 2026The 2026 Emmy Awards broke with tradition by taking place on Monday, September 14, instead of the usual Sunday night. The 78th edition of the television awards ceremony was held a day later than expected because of a scheduling clash involving the National Football League (NFL).
The Emmys were hosted by Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay and began at 8 pm and 3 am.
NFL game forced Emmys change
Entertainment award shows have traditionally taken place on Sunday evenings, but the 2026 Emmys had to make room for a major NFL fixture.
NBC and Peacock held the rights to broadcast this year’s ceremony under the long-running “wheel deal”, an agreement between ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX that allows the four major networks to take turns airing the awards.
The agreement also means NBC and Peacock have to work around the network’s regular Sunday Night Football schedule.
The Dallas Cowboys were scheduled to face the New York Giants on Sunday, September 13, meaning NBC and Peacock could not air both the NFL game and the Emmys on the same night.
As a result, the awards ceremony was moved to Monday, allowing the network and streaming platform to broadcast both events.
NBC has moved the Emmys before
This is not the first time NBC has shifted the Emmys to a Monday to avoid a clash with Sunday Night Football. The network last aired the awards in 2022 and 2017, with both ceremonies taking place on Monday nights for the same reason.
The change therefore follows a pattern that has been used when the Emmys schedule conflicts with one of the network’s biggest weekly sporting broadcasts.
Mariska Hargitay takes on hosting role
While the NFL played a part in changing the date, another familiar NBC face took centre stage as host of the ceremony. Hargitay, who has played Detective Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for nearly three decades, hosted the 2026 Emmys.
The actress admitted that she was initially unsure about taking on the role, despite her long connection with NBC.
“At first I thought, ‘This is ridiculously thankless, a difficult job that everyone gets ripped apart for. Why? Why would I do that?’” Hargitay said during an interview in August.
She had also been planning to take some time away from being in front of the cameras before accepting the hosting job.
Hargitay hints at Emmy’s opening
Hargitay eventually decided to take on the challenge, saying her love for television helped change her mind. “It was just the biggest wrench in the works. And then I thought about why I love television. Television, in my opinion, is extraordinarily healing,” she said.
With her long-running role as Olivia Benson, there has also been interest in whether Hargitay would bring some of her SVU character to the awards ceremony.
The actress hinted that several ideas had been discussed for the opening of the show. “We’ve had five amazing ideas just for the opening,” Hargitay said.
She also teased a possible musical twist linked to her long-running crime drama, adding: “I’ve always wanted to do ‘SVU: The Musical.’”
The 2026 Emmys therefore arrived a day later than the traditional Sunday slot, with the change largely driven by NBC’s need to accommodate its NFL schedule.