Matthew Rhys’ historic double at the 2026 Emmys, Rhea Seehorn’s relief

The Welsh actor made Emmy history, winning two major trophies in one night, while the Better Call Saul star finally got the recognition she deserved.

This had never happened.

Matthew Rhys won two Emmy Awards for Best Actor yesterday at the same ceremony! He first went on stage for The Beast in Me (Best Actor in a Mini-Series) by overtaking Oscar Isaac to everyone’s surprise. A few hours later, he went up again to take another trophy for Widow’s Bay (Best Actor in a Comedy). A great first in the annals of the Emmys.

Two actors had already won two Emmys for acting in the same evening, but associated with awards for supporting roles: in 1991, James Earl Jones won the trophy for best actor in a drama for Gabriel’s Fire and that for best supporting actor in a mini-series for Heat Wave, then in 2002, Stockard Channing won two awards for best actress in a supporting role, for At the White House and The Matthew Shepard Story.

Never before has anyone achieved the double in two main categories, with leading roles.

Still relatively little known to the general public, Matthew Rhys is a Welsh actor revealed by Brothers & Sisters. He made himself known above all with The Americans, where he met the woman who would become his wife in the city, Keri Russell, and which already earned him a first Emmy in 2018. In the process, he became Perry Mason in the excellent HBO remake, landing a new nomination (2021). A television star, he has played little on the big screen, although he appeared in Steven Spielberg’s Pentagon Papers opposite Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks.

At 51, Matthew Rhys now has three best actor trophies in the drama, comedy and mini-series categories. He thus becomes the first man to achieve this hat-trick.

Rhea Seehorn, finally rewarded

Another great moment of the evening: Rhea Seehorn finally won the Emmy for best actress in a drama for Pluribus.

The actress, long associated with her role as Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul, won the trophy for her portrayal of Carol Sturka, one of the last humans capable of thinking freely in the crazy sci-fi series created by Vince Gilligan.

Visibly very emotional when she went on stage, Seehorn began by joking about her state of stress:

“Sorry, I’m on beta blockers. It’s quite difficult…” She then thanked the Academy as well as the other nominated actresses, notably Keri Russell, who had sent her a gift accompanied by a quote from Gloria Steinem: “We are linked, not classified.”

Acclaimed by the press and the public, she had become, despite herself, the symbol of actresses snubbed by the Academy. Only nominated twice for Better Call Saul without ever walking away with the statuette (while her partner Bob Odenkirk racked up three Best Actor victories), Rhea Seehorn can breathe easy. She’s holding her Emmy.

She ended up thanking Vince Gilligan for giving her “the role of a lifetime…”