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He may have made history at the Emmy Awards on Monday night by scooping two leading actor gongs, but Matthew Rhys has no plans to display them at home.
The actor, 51, instead revealed he will put them in the basement out of loyalty to his partner Keri Russell and won’t have them on show until she wins one.
Matthew was perhaps trying to cover his tracks after awkwardly snubbing Keri, 50, from his acceptance speeches.
When asked in a backstage interview: ‘Where are you going to put your two Emmys? Where are they going to go?’
Matthew explained the Emmy he won for The Americans is in the basement.
He told Variety: ‘It’s a long story. It’s in the basement because I kind of said when Keri wins one, I’ll take mine out.’
He may have made history at the Emmy Awards on Monday night by scooping two leading actor gongs, but Matthew Rhys has no plans to display them at home
The actor, 51, instead revealed he will put them in the basement out of loyalty to his partner Keri Russell, 50, and won’t have them on show until she wins one
The actor then admitted he knew it was ‘stupid’ while the interviewer said: ‘Aww’ to the thoughtful gesture.
Keri lost out on the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series award for her role in The Diplomat. The award ultimately went to Rhea Seehorn for Pluribus.
Fans wrote in the comment section of the video: ‘She should have won one multiple times already. Congrats, but also, she has deserved one on so many occasions’;
‘Can’t believe Keri hasn’t won – Felicity, Elizabeth, Kate – what more could she give? Seriously, as Elizabeth she should have won for every season. Nobody else could have delivered as she did.’
‘Well, he could have mentioned Keri in one of his speeches’.
Viewers were surprised Matthew didn’t pay tribute to Keri during his acceptance speeches.
When he won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, for The Beast in Me, the actor failed to mention Keri, whom he fell in love with while they were starring together on The Americans.
The actor didn’t even appear to glance at the actress in his shock as he got up to accept the award, but he did stop to hug an overjoyed Claire Danes, his costar in The Beast in Me.
Emmy Awards 2026 winners: AT A GLANCE
Outstanding Comedy Series: Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Matthew Rhys – Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Matthew Rhys – The Beast in Me
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Stephen Root, Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series: Widow’s Bay (Katie Dippold for ‘Welcome to Widow’s Bay’)
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series: Widow’s Bay (Hiro Murai for “Welcome to Widow’s Bay”)
Matthew Rhys made history as he became the first actor to win two leading actor awards in one night
Outstanding Drama Series: The Pitt
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Noah Wyle – The Pitt
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Jean Smart – Hacks
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: DTF St. Louis
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Allison Janney – The Diplomat
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Tom Pelphrey – Task
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Sally Field – Remarkably Bright Creatures
Outstanding Reality Competition Program: The Traitors
Outstanding Variety Series: The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Despite Rhys apparently snubbing his partner of 12 years, Russell suggested she was still fully supporting him when she was seen letting out a big cheer and applauding enthusiastically
Matthew pictured as Nile Jarvis in The Beast in Me
Keri lost out on the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series award for her role in The Diplomat (pictured). The award ultimately went to Rhea Seehorn for Pluribus
‘This is a real shock because, not least because the caliber and company of the actors in this category,’ Rhys said, accepting his award.
He thanked his collaborators, including ‘the incredible’ Claire.
‘Thank you for letting me join the mystery machine and bringing out the beast,’ he said.
Matthew had the good fortune to score a rare opportunity to remedy the slight when he was called up to the stage later in the broadcast when he won his second award of the evening, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his Apple TV+ horror-comedy Widow’s Bay.
But he again failed to mention Keri during his second acceptance speech.
Matthew made a joke about his second win by poking fun at the programme’s creator Katie Dippold as he said: ‘My apologies to the women who had to stand again.
‘Stephen Root is right, this is purely because of the depraved and twisted mind of Katie Dippold, and her genius really does live in the recesses of her disturbed brain. It is also because of my hero, Hiro Murai, so beautifully, as did all of them.’
Set on a remote New England island, Widow’s Bay follows Matthew’s character Mayor Tom Loftis’s attempt to revive the town by transforming it into a tourist destination, despite generations of local lore warning that the island is cursed.
As increasingly bizarre and supernatural events begin piling up, Patricia emerges as one of Tom’s closest allies in figuring out what is actually happening.
The series proved one of the year’s biggest Emmy breakouts, earning 19 nominations in its first season, including outstanding comedy series and acting nods for Rhys, O’Flynn, Dickey and Stephen Root.
The actor had previously won an Emmy for The Americans in 2018, meaning he has now scooped lead acting trophies across the drama, comedy and limited series categories – another first.
Emmy Awards 2026 winners
Outstanding Drama Series
The Diplomat
The Gilded Age
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Paradise
The Pitt – WINNER
Pluribus
Slow Horses
Your Friends and Neighbors
Noah Wyle led The Pitt to an Outstanding Drama Series honor
Outstanding Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Hacks
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Nobody Wants This
Only Murders in the Building
Shrinking
Widow’s Bay – WINNER
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
All Her Fault
The Beast in Me
Beef
DTF St. Louis – WINNER
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age
Chase Infiniti, The Testaments
Keri Russell, The Diplomat
Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus – WINNER
Zendaya, Euphoria
Rhea Seehorrn was recognized for her work in Pluribus
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown, Paradise
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
Mark Ruffalo, Task
Rufus Sewell, The Diplomat
Noah Wyle, The Pitt – WINNER
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Taylor Dearden, The Pitt
Fiona Dourif, The Pitt
Allison Janney, The Diplomat – WINNER
Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt
Sepideh Moafi, The Pitt
Julianne Nicholson, Paradise
Karolina Wydra, Pluribus
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Patrick Ball, The Pitt
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt
Gerran Howell, The Pitt
Jack Lowden, Slow Horses
Tom Pelphrey, Task – WINNER
Carlos-Manuel Vesga, Pluribus
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Elle Fanning, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Jean Smart, Hacks – WINNER
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Wonder Man
Steve Carell, Rooster
Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay – WINNER
Jason Segel, Shrinking
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Dale Dickey, Widow’s Bay
Matthew Rhys became the first actor to win two leading actor awards in one night
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay – WINNER
Michelle Pfeiffer, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Megan Stalter, Hacks
Jessica Williams, Shrinking
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons
Paul W. Downs, Hacks
Harrison Ford, Shrinking
Nick Offerman, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Stephen Root, Widow’s Bay – WINNER
Michael Urie, Shrinking
Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Claire Danes, The Beast in Me
Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures – WINNER
Carey Mulligan, Beef
Sarah Pidgeon, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette
Sarah Snook, All Her Fault
Sally Field was a surprise winner for Remarkably Bright Creatures
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Riz Ahmed, Bait
Jason Bateman, Black Rabbit
Charlie Hunnam, Monster: The Ed Gein Story
Oscar Isaac, Beef
Matthew Rhys, The Beast in Me – WINNER
Outstanding Reality Competition Program
Dancing With the Stars
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Survivor
Top Chef
The Traitors – WINNER
Outstanding Variety Series
The Daily Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert – WINNER
Saturday Night Live
Stephen Colbert earned an Emmy for his now cancelled talk show
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
The Diplomat (Peter Akerman and Debora Cahn for “Amagansett”)
The Pitt (Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman & R. Scott Gemmill for “1:00 PM”)
The Pitt (Valerie Chu for “12:00 PM”)
Mickey Down and Konrad Kay for “Dear Henry,” Industry
Pluribus (Vince Gilligan for “We Is Us”) – WINNER
Slow Horses (Will Smith for “Scars”)
Task (Brad Ingelsby for “A Still Small Voice”)
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary (Quinta Brunson for “Team Building”)
The Chair Company (Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin for “Life goes by too f**king fast, it really does”)
The Comeback (Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow for “Valerie Does It All”)
Hacks (Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky for “Hacks”)
Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat (Anthony King for “Mergers and Acquisitions”)
Widow’s Bay (Katie Dippold for “Welcome to Widow’s Bay”) – WINNER
Katie Dippold had a massive night as she also earned an outstanding writing win
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
The Gilded Age (Salli Richardson-Whitfield for “My Mind Is Made Up”)
Paradise (Hanelle M. Culpepper for “Exodus”)
The Pitt (Noah Wyle for “12:00 PM”)
Pluribus (Vince Gilligan for “We Is Us”)
Slow Horses (Saul Metzstein for “Scars”) – WINNER
Task (Salli Richardson-Whitfield for “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a river”)
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary (Randall Einhorn for “Ballgame”)
The Bear (Christopher Storer for “Bears”)
The Chair Company (Andrew DeYoung for “Life goes by too f**king fast, it really does”)
Hacks (Lucia Aniello for “Hacks”)
The Ms. Pat Show (Mary Lou Belli for “Give It Arrest”)
Widow’s Bay (Hiro Murai for “Welcome to Widow’s Bay”) – WINNER
Widow’s Bay’s Hiro Murai earned Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
