The 78th Emmy Awards last night. While the telecast itself was rather low-energy—why did we hand out all the acting awards during the first half, leaving a sparse second half?—many records were broken. This includes both Jean Smart and Allison Janney now having the most Emmy Awards for an actress (tying with Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus with 8 each) and Widow’s Bay breaking the record for most wins for a comedy show in a year (14, breaking The Studio’s record from last year by one).
But enough with those superlatives—I’ve created my own to share. Let’s dive into my special awards-themed Kate’s Greats for this year’s Emmys.
Biggest Shock (Part 1): Nick Offerman shaved all his facial hair…
Screenshot via YouTube
…and seemingly donated it to the usually clean-shaven Jason Bateman and Matthew Rhys. Ron Swanson, where is your mustache???
Biggest Non-Surprise That I Should’ve Anticipated: The Pitt splitting votes in the Supporting Actor/Actress Categories
How did I not foresee the Pitt Split? (This is what I’m calling it). There were too many actors from one show in these two categories–three in Supporting Actor (Patrick Ball, Shawn Hatosy, Gerran Howell) and four in Supporting Actress (Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif, Katherine LaNasa, Sepideh Moafi) so it only makes sense that they would ultimately split the votes, leading to surprise wins for Allison Janney from The Diplomat and Tom Pelphrey for Task. But this leads to one of the best moments of the broadcast…
Cutest Couple: Kaley Cuoco and Tom Pelphrey
NBC via YouTube
When Tom Pelphrey went on stage, he made sure to thank his “favorite actor” in the room– his “love, best friend, partner” and “very pregnant” Kaley Cuoco, aka Penny from The Big Bang Theory! Cuoco was filled with joy as Pelphrey shouted out her and their daughter and called their family “the crown jewel of my life.” I’m not crying, you’re crying!
Biggest Shock (Part Two): TAYLOR SWIFT MAKES A CAMEO
NBC via YouTube
The last thing on my bingo card this year was that Taylor Swift would be at the Emmys. After all, her husband, Travis Kelce, was playing a football game. So when she showed up in a pre-recorded skit, reader, my jaw fell to the floor! Since her pal Mariska Hargitay was hosting, it only makes sense she would do her a favor, dropping in as a rookie cop in an SVU parody and rattling off a string of Easter Eggs for Swifties to decipher. Even better, she brought her cat, Olivia Benson (named after Hargitay’s character on SVU) along for the ride. And since this skit was pre-recorded, she still managed to show up at Kelce’s game, talking to Tom Cruise of all people! So many things in this paragraph I’m excited about.
Biggest Winner: Matthew Rhys, Best Actor for Widow’s Bay (Comedy) and The Beast in Me (Limited Series)
Not only did Rhys become the first actor in Emmys history to win two lead acting trophies in one night, he becomes the first actor to also win all three major lead acting categories (Rhys won for Best Actor in a Drama for The Americans in 2018). Now all we need is for his partner Keri Russell to win her long-deserved Emmy. Side note, there were so many cute couples at these awards this year! We can add them to the list alongside Cuoco and Pelphrey and Zendaya and Tom Holland.
Best Blink and You’ll Miss Moment: Martin Short Ripping Up His Acceptance Speech for Best Actor After Matthew Rhys Won
All I can say is this is soooooo Oliver-coded.
Steve Martin via Instagram
Best Payoff: Stephen Root Winning Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow’s Bay
NBC via YouTube
He’s one of those actors you know even if you don’t know his name. He’s in everything everywhere. Personally, I consider this a win not just for his character Wyck on Widow’s Bay but also Fuches on Barry and Jimmy James on NewsRadio.
Best Style Statement: Jon Hamm and Amanda Peet both wearing glasses as they present an award
Two people have never looked better in glasses (and I say that as someone who wears glasses). Your Friends and Neighbors writers, I am begging you, please incorporate glasses into their character’s arcs in season 3. It’s so fashionable!
Biggest Shock (Part 3): The Emmys Actually Ended Early?!?!?!!?
I don’t think ever in the history of awards shows has one ended early (at least in my lifetime they haven’t). This was honestly the biggest shock of the night, but a pleasant one, because I got to go to bed at a decent time. And for that, I’d like to thank the Academy.
The Pop Culture Pundit 
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