Rob Reiner and Betty Gilpin win 2026 Emmy guest-acting awards for comedy
Actor Rob Reiner won a posthumous Emmy for The Bear, and actress Betty Gilpin won the guest actress comedy prize for Widow’s Bay, at Sunday’s Creative Arts Emmys in Los Angeles.
TL;DR
- Reiner won guest actor in a comedy for The Bear, five months after he and his wife, Michele Reiner, were killed; their son, Nick Reiner, has pleaded not guilty to the murders.
- Gilpin won guest actress in a comedy for Apple TV+’s Widow’s Bay and delivered her acceptance speech as a poem.
- The ceremony ran Sept. 6 at the Peacock Theater, ahead of the main Primetime Emmys on Sept. 14.
- UK viewers can watch both nominated shows now: The Bear is on Disney+, and Widow’s Bay launched on Apple TV+ the same day it did in the US.
A standing ovation for Rob Reiner
Reiner earned the nomination for a guest role on FX’s The Bear. He and Michele Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home last December, and their son, Nick Reiner, has been charged in connection with the killings, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
“It’s appropriate to stand for this one,” presenter Wendi McLendon-Covey said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The crowd rose to its feet, and McLendon-Covey added that everyone wished Reiner could have shared the moment himself.
Betty Gilpin turns her speech into a poem
Gilpin took the stage soon after for her role as Sarah Westcott Warren in Widow’s Bay, opening with a shoutout to her date for the night, Alison Brie, her former GLOW co-star.
Rather than a traditional thank-you speech, Gilpin read a poem she had written on her phone, reflecting on her career and thanking fellow performers including Margo Martindale and Cristin Milioti, according to Deadline. She closed with a wry line contrasting a late, celebrated playwright with a tech-industry figure, drawing cheers from the Peacock Theater crowd.
Why this year’s guest-acting race matters
Sunday’s Night 2 ceremony covered 53 categories, mostly on the scripted side, according to Gold Derby. It set the stage for the televised Primetime Emmys on Sept. 14, hosted by Mariska Hargitay on NBC.
8 — Emmy wins already banked by Widow’s Bay this awards season Source: Deadline
Saturday and Sunday’s non-televised results will air together on Sept. 12, giving both winners a broadcast moment before the main show.
UK viewers: where to watch The Bear and Widow’s Bay
The Bear streams exclusively on Disney+ in the UK, according to Disney+ UK. Widow’s Bay is on Apple TV+, which released the series in the UK the same day as the US, on April 29, 2026, according to Apple TV Press.
Reported from publicly available interviews and verified press sources. Last reviewed Sept. 7, 2026.
Lewis Calvert Founder & Editor, BriefLedger
Lewis founded BriefLedger and has six years of experience covering film, TV, and entertainment news. He leads the site’s Movies and TV sections and runs the news desk — always with a straight-talking British take.
