AARP Hearing Center
Best-Dressed Women 50 and Over at the 2026 Emmy Awards
Mariska Hargitay, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Jean Smart brought glamour and confidence to television’s biggest night
From left: Jean Smart, Mariska Hargitay, Sheryl Lee Ralph
AARP (From left: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images, Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, Randy Shropshire/NBC via Getty Images)
Style doesn’t have an expiration date. At the 78th Emmy Awards on Sept. 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, these stars proved it in sequins, saturated color and sharp tailoring, turning up in some of the night’s standout looks.
Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images
Mariska Hargitay, 62
Hargitay arrived to host the Emmy Awards in a plunging custom Monse gown with a subtle slit and a cascading train. In a picture-perfect moment, she twinned with her daughter, Amaya Hermann, who was in a matching red sequined dress. The Law & Order: SVU star, who picked up two Creative Arts Emmys earlier this month for My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay, was the first woman to host the ceremony since 2011. “It is so reassuring to see so many familiar faces out there. I’m just talking about how many of you out there I have arrested on SVU,” she said in her opening monologue, referring to her long-running role on the NBC procedural.
More Ways to Benefit
- Related Benefit 1
- Related Benefit 2
- Related Benefit 3
- Related Benefit 4
- Related Benefit 5
From left: John Shearer/WireImage/Getty Images, Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images
Keri Russell, 50
Russell went edgy in a custom black leather Khaite column gown with a high neck and completely open back. The Diplomat star was nominated for lead actress for playing U.S. Ambassador Kate Wyler. On E!’s red carpet, Russell was asked about her Felicity haircut, which became a pop culture phenomenon in 1999 when her character chopped off her signature curls after a breakup and the resulting dramatic pixie cut sparked a fierce fan backlash. Would she ever cut her hair again, perhaps for The Diplomat? “A thousand percent,” Russell said. Her longtime partner, Matthew Rhys, 51, meanwhile, had a record-breaking night. He became the first man to win two lead acting Emmys in one night, taking lead actor in a limited series for Netflix’s The Beast in Me and lead comedy actor for Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Rhea Seehorn, 54
Pluribus’ Seehorn took classically gorgeous to a new level in a brilliant red gown with simple draping and a dramatic slit up the front. The outstanding lead actress in a drama winner told E! that her fashion picks for the evening were a no-brainer. “Louis Vuitton offered to dress me,” she said, “and Swarovski offered to coat me in jewels. So that was an easy yes!”
Randy Shropshire/NBC via Getty Images
Sheryl Lee Ralph, 69
The Abbott Elementary star wowed in a strapless, multicolored beaded gown by Sergio Hudson. Ralph told E! she is enthusiastically embracing her upcoming 70th birthday, which she plans to celebrate in Africa. “I am 70, and I am still doing it!” she beamed. “Honey, please take a close-up. Zoom in. Don’t be afraid. I woke up like this … almost.”
Niecy Nash-Betts, 56
Nash-Betts arrived with spouse Jessica Betts in a custom scarlet, corseted gown before taking the stage as an Emmy presenter. “Every detail came together beautifully. Thank you for styling Niecy so wonderfully in our Khaled & Marwan gown,” the designers complimented her stylists, the Reismans, on Instagram. The actor told AARP that her career has only gotten better with age. “For me, I’m definitely the poster child for ‘It’s greater later,’” she said.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Katherine LaNasa, 59
LaNasa turned heads in an ice-blue custom Louis Vuitton column gown with delicate spaghetti straps, a softly draped neckline and a sweeping train. Last year’s supporting actress winner returned as a nominee for her role as The Pitt’s unflappable charge nurse, Dana Evans. The actor told AARP that age hasn’t sidelined her career: “I actually don’t feel that I was as crippled as I thought I might be because of my age.”
Jordan Strauss/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Content Services
Jean Smart, 75
Smart cut a regal figure in a black-and-silver floor-length gown with a plunging V-neck, a metallic pleated bodice and sleeves, black lace at the waist and cuffs, and a flowing black skirt. After the crowd gave her a standing ovation for her Hacks win, she cracked, “You’re going, ‘Oh, my God, she’s not that good.’ You just stood up because she’s old.” Smart won lead actress in a comedy for the fifth season in a row, completing a clean sweep for her run as acerbic stand-up Deborah Vance. Tonight’s wins brought the acting Emmy totals of Smart and Allison Janney (see below) to eight each, tying the women with Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for the most in prime-time Emmy history.
Christopher Polk/Deadline via Getty Images
Nicole Kidman, 59
Kidman returned to the Emmys for the first time in nine years in an ethereal white Chanel bustier gown embellished with 46 flowers fashioned from layers of silk crepe, silk organza and raffia. The look was finished with Chanel shoes and jewelry. The two-time Emmy winner was there in support of Margo’s Got Money Troubles, which she stars in and executive produces.
Cynthia Nixon, 60
Nixon brought the glam in a sculptural burgundy Issey Miyake gown with dramatic pleating and an asymmetrical hem. The actor noted that while her closet is still chock-full of Miranda’s Sex and the City wardrobe, her Gilded Age period pieces are not on heavy rotation. “Maybe some gloves,” she joked to People. “That’s about it. It’s not the kind of thing you could go to the Duane Reade in.”
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Allison Janney, 66
Little black dress? Not quite. Janney, who picked up the Emmy for best supporting actress in a drama for her role as the morally complicated President Grace Penn in The Diplomat, opted for simple and statuesque, with a twist. Her black column Pamella Roland gown had a pooling hem and was playfully topped with a flurry of pink feathers. (And don’t miss the matching French manicure with black tips!)
AARP Membership
Join AARP for only $15 per year with automatic renewal. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of benefits, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP The Magazine.
Recommended For You
Benefits Recommended For You
- Tier 2
- Tier 2
- Tier 3
More From AARP
Actors Over 50 Nab 24 Key 2026 Emmy Nominations
Harrison Ford, Colman Domingo, Jean Smart and more vie for TV’s top honor
Fall TV Preview 2026: 17 Shows Not to Miss
Favorites ‘Slow Horses’ and ‘The Gilded Age’ return, plus a new ‘Blade Runner’ sequel
AARP’s 25 Most Fabulous Gen X Actresses
Viola Davis, Charlize Theron, Halle Berry and Penélope Cruz lead our list of Gen X stars