The 78th Emmy Awards, broadcasting live from the Peacock Theater on September 14 via NBC and Peacock, has confirmed a poignant tribute to the late Dolly Parton. Country superstar Reba McEntire, a longtime friend of Parton and star of NBC's Happy's Place, is slated to participate in the special segment. Following Parton's passing at age 80, McEntire shared on Instagram, "Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge huge heart. There will never ever be another you."
These new revelations build on previously announced tributes and reunions. The ceremony will feature a tribute to Catherine O’Hara, joined by her Home Alone son Macaulay Culkin and Schitt’s Creek co-stars Dan Levy and Annie Murphy. Milestone anniversaries will also be celebrated with a 50th-anniversary Charlie’s Angels reunion featuring Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith, and Cheryl Ladd, and a 30th-anniversary Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion with Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz. Noah Kahan is scheduled to perform “Bridge Over Troubled Water” for the In Memoriam segment.
NBC and the TV Academy have now unveiled an extensive list of additional presenters for the ceremony, hosted by Mariska Hargitay. Among the new additions are a significant contingent from Fox’s upcoming Baywatch reboot, with Stephen Amell, Noah Beck, Jessica Belkin, Hassie Harrison, Thaddeus LaGrone, and Brooks Nader all set to present and promote their series.
Other notable presenters include LL Cool J and Scott Caan from CBS’s new spinoff, NCIS: New York; Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, stars of the Apple TV comedy Brothers; and Julia Garner from Netflix’s limited series The Altruists. Jamie Lee Curtis will pull triple duty as a presenter, co-star/executive producer of NBC’s new comedy Newlyweds, and a Guest Actress Emmy nominee this year for The Bear (a category she won in 2024).
Shailene Woodley, a guest acting winner from last weekend for Paradise, is also confirmed as a presenter for the main telecast. The lineup further expands with comedians Awkwafina and John Mulaney, aiming to enhance the ceremony's entertainment value after several categories were cut from the live show. Additional presenters include House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy, Love Story's JFK Jr., Paul Anthony Kelly, Furious lead Emmy Rossum, and NBC’s own America’s Got Talent judge Sofía Vergara.
These new names join an already impressive list of previously announced presenters, including Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Rachel Sennott, Odessa A’zion, Linda Cardellini, Alan Cumming, Sally Field, Jon Hamm, David Harbour, Marcello Hernández, Peter Krause, Julianna Margulies, Niecy Nash-Betts, Keke Palmer, Amanda Peet, and Amy Poehler.
Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, Jeannae Rouzan-Clay of Jesse Collins Entertainment, and host Mariska Hargitay will serve as executive producers for the event.