Mariska Hargitay Hosts 78th Emmy Awards as First Female Host in 15 Years

Mariska Hargitay hosted the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday night, marking the first time a woman has emceed the ceremony in 15 years. The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star presided over the broadcast from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, which aired live on NBC and streamed on Peacock. Hargitay opened the ceremony with a song-and-dance performance of "I Love TV Screens," set to the tune of Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n' Roll." The performance featured guest appearances from New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, Jean Smart, and Jennifer Coolidge. In her monologue, Hargitay joked about her long tenure on Law & Order: SVU, quipped that Law & Order creator Dick Wolf's real name is "Richard Penis," and spoofed Nicole Kidman's AMC Theaters monologue. The hosting role came after Hargitay had already won two Emmy Awards at the Creative Arts ceremony earlier in September for her documentary "My Mom Jayne," about her late mother, actress Jayne Mansfield. She won for outstanding directing and outstanding documentary or nonfiction special.