John Mulaney turned the September 14, 2026 Emmy Awards into his latest comedy showcase, delivering a sharp monologue before presenting Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. During the ceremony at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theatre, hosted by Mariska Hargitay , Mulaney roasted the all male acting lineup and the idea that television has ever sidelined men. The nominees included Sterling K. Brown for Paradise, Gary Oldman for Slow Horses, Mark Ruffalo for Task, Rufus Sewell for The Diplomat, and eventual winner Noah Wyle for The Pitt. Mulaney called them a collection of prom kings, then argued that men had supposedly been missing from television until the arrival of Fonzie, because apparently TV history needed a leather jacket joke. What Was John Mulaney Really Selling? Mulaney also took aim at method acting, contrasting it with what he called less irritating regular acting, before running through the limited list of roles male nominees supposedly get to play. A joke involving DJ Khaled , romance, and outdated ideas about masculinity pushed the bit firmly into classic Mulaney territory. The comedian held up Frank Vincent ’s book A Guy’s Guide to Being a Man’s Man and used its lesson about treating people with respect to land the final punchline. After the room erupted, Mulaney announced the nominees and handed the Emmy to Wyle, leaving the audience with a win for The Pitt and a monologue that clearly stole the spotlight.