Mariska Hargitay used her Emmys monologue to joke about her long-running stint on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
The 62-year-old, who has starred on the show for 27 years, pretended not to know the word “finale,” given that she’s never had one. She also poked fun at Law & Order creator Dick Wolf, joking that wisecracks about his name are unfair as his real name is “Richard Penis.”
She also spoofed Nicole Kidman’s famous advertisement for AMC cinemas, only to be interrupted by Kidman herself. “Zip it, movie lady,” Hargitay told her. “It’s TV’s turn tonight.”
Hargitay’s brief monologue came after an extended, extravagant musical sequence during which she sang “I love TV screens” to the tune of Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ‘n Roll.”
The actor, who is hosting the Emmys for the first time, pointed out that she is the first female host for 15 years. She has been widely praised on social media, with one user writing: “Mariska Hargitay should host everything forever” and another adding: “Yes Mariska is killing it! I love this! I knew she would!!!”
Hargitay is herself an Emmy winner four times over. She won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2006 and Best Documentary in 2017 for I Am Evidence.
At the Creative Arts Emmys earlier this month, she won two more Emmys for her documentary about her mother Jayne Mansfield, My Mom Jayne.
The 78th annual television awards ceremony is currently underway at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Medical drama The Pitt leads the pack with 25 nominations, followed closely by Hacks and Widow’s Bay.
Hacks star Jean Smart has already made history after winning for the fifth and final season of the hit HBO comedy. She made history by winning Best Lead Actress in a Comedy for every year of the show. She matches Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the most overall acting wins in Emmys history with eight.
Kate O'Flynn took home the first trophy during Monday night’s ceremony for her supporting role in the new comedy series Widow’s Bay, while Matthew Rhys won for The Beast In Me.
Earlier in the night, opinions were divided over some of the night’s boldest red carpet looks.
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