Emmy Nominations 2025: Historic, Record-Breaking and Otherwise Notable Nominees

Noah Wyle landed a best drama actor nod for his work on The Pitt on Tuesday. This wasn’t his first nomination as an actor, but it notably was his first Emmy nom in a whopping 26 years. Wyle received five Emmy nominations from 1995-1999 for his work on ER, but it took a little over two decades for him to receive another nod.

In one of the most shocking TV deaths (to those who weren’t familiar with the video game the show was adapted from), Pedro Pascal’s Joel Miller was axed in episode two of season two of The Last of Us. The Fantastic Four: First Steps star appeared in a mere two additional episodes (via flashbacks) this season, but that didn’t stop him from picking up a nom for best drama actor. 

Pascal certainly had the least screen time compared to fellow nominees Sterling K. Brown, Gary Oldman, Adam Scott and Noah Wyle. However, this is not the first time the Academy has nominated someone in a lead acting category who only appeared in a few episodes. Look back to Brian Cox, who was also nominated for best drama actor in 2023 for Succession. Cox was only in three episodes of the Emmy-winning juggernaut, and both his and Pascal’s brief yet impactful onscreen appearances didn’t stop the performers from being recognized.

A slew of talent has received their first Emmy nominations this year. Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti for The Penguin; Owen Cooper and Stephen Graham for Adolescence; Jake Gyllenhaal for Presumed Innocent; Cooper Koch, Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story; Adam Brody and Kristen Bell for Nobody Wants This; J.K. Simmons for Die Hart: Hart to Kill; Tom Segura for Bad Thoughts; and Jason Isaacs and Scott Glenn for The White Lotus.

Shortly after her nod was unveiled, Milioti shared her reaction to the news with THR, “I feel so thrilled for our show. You never know how these things are going to go, and I’m so blown away by the amount of nominations we have and that so many members of our incredible crew got nominated.”

However, Koch told THR how “devastated” he was that his Monsters co-stars  Ari Graynor and Nicholas Alexander Chavez didn’t receive a nomination. “I talked to Ari. I’m devastated that she didn’t get it. That’s the one sort of bummer from today that she didn’t get it,” Koch said. “Same thing with Nicholas. I think both of them really deserved to be on there, so I’m super bummed that they didn’t get nominated.”

Kathy Bates is making history in Hollywood. At 77 years old, Bates scored a nom in the best drama actress category for her role as Madeline “Matty” Matlock in the legal drama Matlock. While she’s won two Emmys before, one for being a guest star on Two and a Half Men and another for playing Madame Delphine LaLaurie in American Horror Story: Coven, her nomination this year makes her the oldest nominee ever in the drama actress category. She’s up against Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters), Britt Lower (Severance), Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us) and Keri Russell (The Diplomat).

Last year, the Misery star told THR that this show “came as a total surprise” because she wasn’t intending to lead the project. “Quite frankly, I was thinking about going into semi-retirement, and just waiting to see what came along that I might like to do,” she said.

It’s a house divided in the Knowles-Carter household. Both Beyoncé and her husband Shawn Carter (aka Jay-Z) are nominated in the outstanding variety special (live) category — a rare milestone for a husband and wife. The Cowboy Carter singer received her nom for her Beyoncé Bowl halftime show for the NFL’s Christmas Day game on Netflix. Meanwhile, Jay-Z is an exec producer for Kendrick Lamar’s Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show; the rapper has previously won two primetime Emmys. However, if Beyoncé nabs the trophy, this would be her first.  

While The Bear previously held the title as the show with the most nominations in a single awards year for a comedy series, with the 23 noms it received last year, this year it met its match. Seth Rogen’s The Studio scored 23 noms, tying The Bear’s record. The Studio’s nominations included best comedy series, best actor in a comedy series for Rogen, best supporting actress in a comedy series for Kathryn Hahn and Catherine O’Hara, among others. The show also nearly dominated the nods in the best guest actor in a comedy series category, as Bryan Cranston, Dave Franco, Ron Howard, Anthony Mackie and Martin Scorsese were all nominated for their performances in The Studio. The Bear’s Jon Bernthal was the other nominee in the category. 

While Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard are best known for their work as filmmakers and winning Oscars, they’ve now been recognized for their acting work. The two directors each earned their first acting nominations for best guest actor in a comedy series for their appearances in The Studio. Howard has previously won Emmys for his work as an executive producer on Arrested Development and Curious George, as well as the director of the documentary Jim Henson: Idea Man. Scorsese also previously won Emmys for directing George Harrison: Living in the Material World and an episode of Boardwalk Empire. 

Saturday Night Live proved its Emmys dominance once again, extending its lead for most nominations ever for a program. To date, the long-running sketch comedy series has been nominated 372 times, including the 31 nods it received this year, between its regular show and its SNL50 specials. 

Julianne Nicholson and Catherine O’Hara both received two Emmy nominations this year for separate projects. Nicholson was nominated for best actress in a comedy series for Hacks, as well as best supporting actress in a drama series for Paradise. As for O’Hara, she earned nods for best guest actress in a drama series for The Last of Us and best supporting actress in a comedy series for The Studio. 

Fifteen-year-old actor Owen Cooper, who starred in the hit show Adolescence, became the youngest nominee in the history of his category — best supporting actor in a limited/anthology series or TV movie. If Cooper wins, he would also be the youngest male winner of any acting Emmy ever.