The first night of the 2026 Creative Arts Emmy Awards brought major celebrations for three entertainment stars who finally took home their first Emmy trophies. Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, and Octavia Spencer all secured their inaugural Emmy wins on Saturday, September 5, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The opening ceremony of the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards recognized achievements across variety, reality, and nonfiction programming, along with several technical categories.
The three first-time winners come from different corners of the entertainment world. A Latin music superstar, a pop singer-actress, and an Oscar-winning actress each added television’s highest honor to their growing list of achievements.
Bad Bunny Makes Emmy History with Super Bowl Halftime Show
Bad Bunny won his first Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show. The Puerto Rican rapper and singer, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, served as both the headlining performer and a producer on the show.
The Super Bowl LX halftime performance took place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on February 8, 2026. The 13-minute spectacle transformed the football field into scenes including a sugar cane field, bodega, wedding party, and a casita like the one from his 2025 San Juan residency. The show featured appearances by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, along with a real-life wedding and local business owners including Los Angeles-based Villa’s Tacos.
The show collected seven Emmy wins overall, making it the most-awarded Super Bowl halftime performance in history. The previous record of three wins was set by the 2022 Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent. Along with the top program award, Bad Bunny’s show won for music direction, choreography, sound mixing, lighting design, technical direction and camerawork, and directing.
The win also made history as the first Spanish-language program to win the Outstanding Variety Special (Live) category. It was the first halftime performance headlined by a Latino solo artist and was delivered almost entirely in Spanish. The Super Bowl LX performance is only the second halftime show to win this category, following the 2022 hip-hop-themed production.
Jay-Z, along with Desiree Perez and Jesse Collins, also won as executive producers on the show, marking Jay-Z’s third Emmy win. Hamish Hamilton won the Emmy for directing the variety special.
Sabrina Carpenter Adds First Emmy, Moves Halfway to EGOT
Sabrina Carpenter won her first Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) for The Muppet Show, the Disney+ revival of Jim Henson’s classic variety format. The pop singer and actor served as both executive producer and performer on the project.
Carpenter, who already holds two Grammy Awards for Best Pop Solo Performance (“Espresso”) and Best Pop Vocal Album (“Short n’ Sweet”), now stands halfway to achieving EGOT status. She needs only an Oscar and a Tony to complete the prestigious collection of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards.
The Muppet Show had a strong night overall, converting four of its six nominations into wins. Alongside the top variety prize, it picked up awards for writing, picture editing, and production design. Seth Rogen collected his fifth career Emmy as an executive producer on the project.
Carpenter was not present at the ceremony to accept her award. The win adds a major television honor to her rapidly growing collection of accolades.
Octavia Spencer Finally Wins First Emmy After Multiple Nominations
Octavia Spencer won her first Emmy for Outstanding Narrator for her work on the Investigation Discovery true-crime series Lost Women of Alaska. The 56-year-old actress had been nominated twice before – for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for Self Made in 2020 and for Outstanding Narrator for Lost Women of Highway 20 in 2024.
Spencer’s win carried extra significance as it prevented 100-year-old Sir David Attenborough from becoming the oldest Emmy winner ever. Attenborough was nominated twice in the same category for his work on Netflix’s A Gorilla Story: Told By David Attenborough and Nat Geo’s Ocean with David Attenborough. The record remains with Norman Lear, who won an Emmy at age 98 in 2020.
Speaking backstage after her win, Spencer shared her long-standing interest in true crime:
“Before there was an implosion of true-crime networks, there were people like me who [were] interested. True-crime, these things actually happen. I was a consumer who watched for entertainment. There was something always greater to say if I ever had a platform, I would do something. Lost Women was the perfect vehicle.”
Spencer campaigned hard for the award, attending numerous Emmy events. Last month at Deadline’s Contenders: The Nominees Studio, she said, “I think there are a lot of people who are very new to the true-crime genre. I’m not, I’ve been studying it. I read a horrible story, a true-crime story, when I was 11 and I think it made an indelible mark on me.”
The Oscar winner, who won Best Supporting Actress for The Help in 2012, now needs only a Grammy and a Tony to complete her EGOT.
Related:
Other Big Winners on Night 1
The first night of the Creative Arts Emmys delivered several other notable wins. Mariska Hargitay won two Emmys for her documentary My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay, taking Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program and Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special. The documentary explores the life of her mother, Hollywood actor Jayne Mansfield, who died in a car accident when Hargitay was three years old. Hargitay, who will host the main Primetime Emmy ceremony on September 14, already won an Emmy in 2006 for lead actress in a drama for Law & Order: SVU.
Jimmy Kimmel won Outstanding Host for a Game Show for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire for the second consecutive year. Alan Cumming continued his winning streak, taking Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program for The Traitors. Desi Lydic won Outstanding Performer in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains.
On the program front, The Traitors emerged as one of the biggest winners with six awards. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert picked up five awards in its final season. Love on the Spectrum collected three awards, while Antiques Roadshow, Ocean with David Attenborough, and My Mom Jayne were among other programs to pick up multiple honors. Jeopardy! won Outstanding Game Show.
The 2026 Creative Arts Emmys are being held over two nights, September 5 and 6, covering a total of 102 categories. Both Creative Arts nights will later be combined into a single broadcast on FXX on September 12 and will be available for streaming on Hulu the next day. The main 78th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, hosted by Mariska Hargitay, will take place on September 14 at the Peacock Theater and air live on NBC and Peacock.
Also Read: Ariana Madix Brings ‘Sexiness and Danger’ to Love Island USA Hosting Role, Earns Emmy Nomination
Stay updated with the latest entertainment news and award show coverage only on VvipTimes, your trusted source for celebrity updates and industry highlights.
Leave a Reply