Allison Janney Surprised by Best Supporting Actress Emmys Win: “Not What I Planned At All”

Allison Janney took home the award for best supporting actress in a drama series for her work during the third season of Netflix’s The Diplomat during Monday night’s 2026 Emmys.

During her acceptance speech, Janney pointed to her co-creatives as a source of her success.

“I have to tell you this was not what I planned for this category at all, and I’m very surprised and very, very grateful to be here,” she said. “I thank all the members of the Television Academy, and of course I have to thank Debora Cahn, who is our show writer and showrunner, who writes scripts and dialogue that that actors cannot wait to chew up and spit out.”

Janney went on to thank the series director, who I adore, EP Janice Williams, and “the coolest woman on the planet, Keri Russell, who leads us all every day.”

Janney was nominated alongside The Pitt’s Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif, Katherine LaNasa and Sepideh Moafi, as well as Paradise’s Julianne Nicholson and Pluribus’ Karolina Wydra.

Created by Cahn, The Diplomat scored 10 Emmy nominations this year, including outstanding drama series, outstanding writing for a drama and lead actress and actor in a drama series for 2026. Janney’s win — just her latest following Emmys for work on The West Wing, Mom and Masters of Sex — ties Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman’s records for eight acting honors.

Monday night’s ceremony was hosted by Mariska Hargitay, the first Emmys host in nearly two decades not primarily known for their comedic work. Produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment, the event was held in the Peacock Theater in downtown L.A., broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock.