Mariska Hargitay traded Olivia Benson’s blazers for glitter and glamour as host of the Emmys 2026 Monday night, cycling through twelve outfit changes — and nearly as many wigs — from the red carpet through to the final number.
The “Law & Order: SVU” star, 62, arrived at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles matching with daughter Amaya, 15, in custom red sequined Monse gowns with sparkling fringed hems, both finished with strappy red heels.
The mother-daughter moment was a tribute to Hargitay’s late mom, actress Jayne Mansfield, who wore a similar ruby red gown in the 1956 flick “The Girl Can’t Help It.”
For the red carpet, hairstylist Adir Abergel added clip-in and tape-in extensions to Hargitay’s brunette bob and styled the length in soft, center-parted waves. “I wanted the hair to feel glamorous without feeling too ‘done,'” he told Allure. “We were looking at that early-2000s undone texture — lots of shine, soft cascading waves, and this really natural volume.”
On stage, Hargitay — the first woman to host the ceremony in 15 years — kicked off her opening monologue in a white Sophie Couture strapless gown with a paillette bodice and sequin skirt, giving viewers a taste of the sparkle ahead as she spoofed Nicole Kidman’s viral AMC Theatres ad.
“Zip it, movie lady! It’s TV’s turn tonight,” she quipped after a Chanel-clad Kidman interrupted the bit.
Longtime stylist Erin Walsh pulled a slew of other looks for the actress over the course of the night, including a black strapless gown with a pointed bodice and gold waist detail, a black sequined number with silver straps and a matching stripe down the front, and a gleaming ivory three-piece suit finished with a bedazzled brooch that matched her microphone.
Three of the evening’s pieces came courtesy of Syrian-American couturier Yara Shoemaker: a strapless black ruched-bodice gown styled with opera-length leather gloves, a blush pink column dress with a glittering neckline and straps, and a pearl-embellished gown with a black off-the-shoulder sash.
For a “Game of Thrones” cosplay bit, Hargitay wielded a giant sword in a massive fur cape, her hair suddenly long and pinned back.
The mid-show hair transformation to a bombshell blowout was “a little love letter to Jayne Mansfield,” Abergel told Allure, nodding to the late actress’s mid-century Hollywood look.
For the final stretch, Hargitay lost the wig in favor of a chin-length bob, which she wore first center-parted, then swept into a deep side part, then gelled straight and flipped out in a feat of backstage beauty magic.
She kept the sparkle going in a silver Dolce & Gabbana gown with a sheer tulle rhinestone overlay and crystals framing the bust and waist.
For a change of pace, Hargitay slipped into a fitted black-and-white tank dress — a sleek and sporty moment amid the parade of glitz.
For the finale, the host returned to Dolce & Gabbana in a silver sequined gown with black spaghetti straps and a peekaboo cutout below the bust. “There’s only one thing left to do,” she said, cueing the “Law & Order” “dun dun” to close the broadcast.
Ahead of the show, Hargitay told Today that hosting let her flex a muscle her day job doesn’t. “That’s what makes me happy. That’s what makes me come alive,” she said.
“I don’t get to do that on TV, but I certainly do it BTS,” she added.
Hargitay called the gig an “extraordinary opportunity,” telling Deadline she saw it as “being part of something so historic.”
Just last week, Hargitay picked up two Creative Arts Emmys for her directorial debut, “My Mom Jayne,” the documentary she made about her mother.
Her only other Emmy win came in 2006, for Best Actress in a Drama Series for “Law & Order: SVU,” which she has starred in since 1999.
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