Olivia Benson may be off duty tonight, but Mariska Hargitay is grinding away on the Emmys shift.
The three-time Emmy-winning actress and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star got off to a strong start at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Tuesday, Sept. 14, delivering a hilarious opening monologue during her debut hosting stint.
The show opened with a prerecorded bit showing Hargitay getting ready, featuring a cameo by New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson. As Hargitay got ready, she asked Brunson if he had ever felt like "you've had millions of eyes on you, and it all comes down to one night," to which Brunson shot back, "Seriously?"
After singing a parody of Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" with lyrics shouting out several of the nominees, Hargitay
took the stage for her live monologue. She poked fun at her historic hosting gig (Hargitay is the first woman to emcee the iconic awards show in 15 years, after fellow actress and "Glee" alum Jane Lynch hosted in 2011).
"For 15 straight years, Amy [Poehler] and Tina [Fey] said no," Hargitay quipped. "I'm not going to lie, it's a lot of pressure. But it is so reassuring to see so many familiar faces out there, and I'm just talking about how many of you I've arrested on 'SVU.'"
Hargitay also took a shot at Nicole Kidman in a meme-worthy parody of AMC Theatres' intro sequence, which Hargitay began to recite nearly word for word, complete with music behind her.
"At the end of the day, we come to TV for magic. To laugh, to cry, to care, because we need that, all of us," she said. Kidman herself was seated in the audience and objected, "That's my bit. You can't do that!"
In a recent interview with USA TODAY, the actress teased the dynamic performance she'd been preparing in rehearsals, which she said will include singing and dancing.
"Those rumors are true," said Hargitay, who refused to give "spoilers" on her ceremony numbers. "I'll never tell you. But it's going to be more song than dance. I just want to be clear on that."
Aside from hosting, Hargitay received some accolades from the Television Academy for her 2025 documentary "My Mom Jayne," a film about her late mother, Hollywood icon Jayne Mansfield, who died in a car accident in June 1967 when Hargitay was 3 years old.
The documentary, directed by Hargitay herself, won Emmys this year for outstanding documentary and outstanding directing for a documentary.
Contributing: Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mariska Hargitay takes jab at Nicole Kidman in Emmys 2026 opening monologue
