Matthew Rhys makes Emmy history with two lead actor wins
Matthew Rhys became the first person to win two lead acting Emmys in one night, while Widow's Bay dominated and The Pitt took best drama.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards took place in Los Angeles, where Welsh actor Matthew Rhys made history by becoming the first person to win two lead acting prizes in a single night. He won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series for the Netflix thriller The Beast in Me, and then repeated the feat in the comedy category for his role in the Apple TV horror-comedy Widow's Bay.
His second win made him the first performer to have won the lead acting award in all three Emmy fields: limited series, drama, and now comedy. In his speech, Rhys paid tribute to Wales, saying: "Finally to the great and good people of Wales who were as much a nurturer as anyone else. We are a small but mighty nation. This is incredible."
Widow's Bay, a quirky comedy about a hapless mayor of a supposedly cursed New England town, became one of the night's biggest winners, taking home 14 Emmys overall. Fellow British actor Kate O'Flynn won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in the show. The series, which had only launched a few months ago, has already been commissioned for a second series.
The medical drama The Pitt, which went into the ceremony with a leading 25 nominations, took the top prize for Outstanding Drama Series. Its star Noah Wyle won Best Actor in a Drama, beating Sir Gary Oldman of Slow Horses for the third time. In his acceptance speech, Wyle praised Oldman, saying: "Mr. Oldman, I have to tell you, I don't know there's an actor my age that didn't look and prick up your ears and sit in Nancy and think that's the benchmark that I wanna hit one day in my career."
Slow Horses did win a notable award: Scottish director Saul Metzstein took the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. Elsewhere, Jean Smart, star of Hacks, won Best Comedy Actress for the fifth consecutive time, setting a record as the first woman to win an Emmy for every season of the same show.
The ceremony also had its emotional moments. Michael J. Fox received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his work raising awareness and funds for Parkinson's disease research. He received a standing ovation as he appeared on stage in his wheelchair. A tribute was paid to the late Dolly Parton, who died three weeks ago, with her Steel Magnolias co-star Sally Field delivering a heartfelt tribute. The three original Charlie's Angels actresses also appeared to mark the 50th anniversary of the show.
Other highlights included a cameo from Taylor Swift in a Law & Order skit, despite her missing the event in person to attend an NFL game. Stephen Colbert was among the winners in the talk show category. Allison Janney made history with her eighth Emmy, winning Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for The Diplomat.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC News | BBC One | Channel 4 | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Rhys won two lead acting Emmys on the same night, for Widow's Bay and The Beast in Me, becoming the first man to win two lead acting categories in the same year. | · | |||||
| Kate O'Flynn, Matthew Rhys's co-star in Widow's Bay, won her first Emmy. | · | · | ||||
| Widow's Bay won Emmy Awards, with reports of 6 to 14 wins. | · | · | · | |||
| Jean Smart won a fifth consecutive Emmy for Hacks, becoming the first woman to win an Emmy for every season of the same show. | · | · | · | · | ||
| Michael J. Fox received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his Parkinson's disease campaigning, and received a standing ovation. | · | · | · | · | ||
| The Pitt won the award for Outstanding Drama. | · | · | · | · | ||
| Matthew Rhys was the first actor to win Emmys in all three genre categories (comedy, drama, and limited series). | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Michael J Fox's foundation has raised billions for Parkinson's research. | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Noah Wyle paid tribute to Gary Oldman. | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Slow Horses was nominated for Best Drama Series for the third consecutive year. | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The Pit received 25 Emmy nominations. | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Widow's Bay was commissioned for a second series. | · | · | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Focused heavily on the pre-ceremony expectations and the British/Welsh angle, with multiple segments including a Welsh correspondent reaction. Highlighted The Pitt's nominations and Matthew Rhys's historic double win, but also noted Widow's Bay as the biggest winner with six awards (a figure that conflicts with other sources).
- “The Pitt has 25 Emmy nominations going into tonight's ceremony.”
- “Matthew Rhys has become the first person to win two lead acting prizes at the Emmy Awards in one night.”
- “Finally to the great and good people of Wales who were as much a nurturer as anyone else. We are a small but mighty nation.”
Provided extensive post-ceremony coverage, focusing on the history-making moments: Matthew Rhys's double win and his record across all three genre categories. Also highlighted Widow's Bay's 14-win haul, The Pitt's best drama win, and the emotional Michael J. Fox tribute. Gave a detailed breakdown of key winners and British successes.
- “Very big night for Widow's Bay. And as you mentioned, that is a hit TV series that four months ago, nobody here had even heard of, but it has become a smash hit.”
- “He also is the first actor to win awards in all three Emmy genre categories for acting, for comedy, for drama, and for limited series.”
- “And I know it was a very, very moving moment when Michael J. Fox appeared on stage in his wheelchair. He was given a standing ovation as he received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award.”
Focused on the record-breaking nature of Matthew Rhys's double win and the breakout success of Widow's Bay, but gave a lower award count (six) for the show. Also noted Jean Smart's record, Taylor Swift's cameo, and the political messages from winners like The Pitt's cast.
- “Matthew Rhys becoming the first man to win two lead acting categories in the same year.”
- “One of the night's big winners taking home six awards as it made its Emmy debut.”
- “And one of the loudest cheers of the night going to Michael J Fox recognized for his contributions to Parkinson's disease research.”
Brief summary of the night's key results, focusing on the Welsh success and the scale of Widow's Bay's win (14 Emmys). No additional analysis or colour beyond the main facts.
- “The comedy horror TV series, Widows Bay, won 14 Emmys last night with British actor Kate O'Flynn named Best Supporting Actress.”
- “Her co-star, Welsh actor Matthew Rhys, made history as the first person to win two lead acting prizes in one night.”
Combined coverage from two bulletins, emphasising the British and Welsh achievements, including Matthew Rhys's double win, Alan Cumming's win for The Traitors, and Scottish director Saul Metzstein's Emmy. Also highlighted The Pitt's best drama win and the Michael J. Fox tribute.
- “Welsh actor Matthew Rhys has made history at the Emmys in Los Angeles. He became the first person to win two leading actor categories in the same year.”
- “The horror comedy set on a cursed island got five more gongs, including Best Comedy and another Brit as Best Supporting Actress.”
- “There was time for a tribute to the late Dolly Parton in song and words from her Steel Magnolias co-star.”
Gave detailed reports across lunchtime and evening bulletins, focusing on Matthew Rhys's historic double win, his personal reaction, and the Welsh pride angle. Also covered Widow's Bay's 14-trophy haul, Kate O'Flynn's win, and the emotional Michael J. Fox moment. Noted the success of British talent across several categories.
- “Making Emmy Award history, this was the second Lead Actor win in the same night for Matthew Rhys.”
- “The show dominated last night's ceremony with 14 trophies, including one for fellow Brit, Kato Flynn, named Best Supporting Comedy Actress.”
- “But the night really belonged to Matthew Rhys and he dedicated it to Wales.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.