Updated

Updated · USA TODAY · Sep 10

Mariska Hargitay Suffers Wardrobe Malfunction Before 78th Emmys as 62-Year-Old Host Teases Singing

Updated

Updated · USA TODAY · Sep 10

Mariska Hargitay Suffers Wardrobe Malfunction Before 78th Emmys as 62-Year-Old Host Teases Singing

Q: How did a minor wardrobe malfunction become the perfect viral marketing tool for the 2026 Emmy Awards?

It worked as a near-perfect viral marketing moment because it was unscripted, harmless, funny and instantly tied to the show’s biggest selling points. Mariska Hargitay’s brief “wardrobe malfunction” happened during the highly visual blue-carpet rollout outside the Peacock Theater, already a made-for-social-media setting. Instead of treating it as an embarrassment, she turned it into a punchline — “Better now than at the Emmys” — and then reframed it as “good luck.” That gave outlets and fan accounts an easy, repeatable hook: a relatable mishap, a charismatic recovery and a superstition angle ahead of live TV. The moment also amplified the broader Emmy narrative. Hargitay is not just the host of the Sept. 14 telecast on NBC and Peacock; she is the first woman to host the Emmys in 15 years, has just won two Emmys for her documentary “My Mom Jayne,” and has teased that she will sing and dance during the show. The malfunction fed that storyline by making her seem spontaneous, confident and in command of the room. It helped that her explanation — she was in “full-on Knicks-mode,” “kicking the carpet,” like “a superhero” — was colorful and meme-ready. In modern awards-show promotion, those are ideal ingredients: a short clip, a quotable star, a human moment and a direct bridge to tune-in messaging. So a tiny mishap became free publicity: it generated headlines, social sharing and anticipation without overshadowing the ceremony itself.

3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Sep 10

Mariska Hargitay halted a Sept. 10 Emmy kickoff event outside Los Angeles' Peacock Theater after a minor wardrobe malfunction, joking it was better to happen before the 78th awards.
Hargitay, 62, said she caused the mishap by going into "full-on Knicks-mode" and kicking the blue carpet, then called it a good-luck omen ahead of Monday's ceremony.
Monday's 8 p.m. ET NBC/Peacock telecast will mark the first time in 15 years that a woman has hosted the Emmys, with Hargitay confirming she will sing and dance.
The host arrives with momentum after winning 2 Emmys on Sept. 6 for her HBO documentary "My Mom Jayne," while Emmy officials also announced Noah Kahan for the In Memoriam tribute.