Keri Russell addressed media speculation about her partner Matthew Rhys not thanking her during his 2026 Emmy Awards speeches. In interviews, Russell explained that both she and Rhys were nervous and agreed it would be best if he did not mention her in his acceptance speeches to avoid additional pressure. She also noted that people often criticize actors for omitting certain names from their speeches and suggested thanking whoever one wants during the allotted time.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
At the 2026 Emmys, Matthew Rhys, 51, won two awards: lead actor in a limited or anthology series for "The Beast in Me" and lead actor in a comedy series for "Widow’s Bay," with the latter show sweeping the night with 14 total wins. During his acceptance speeches, however, he did not thank his partner Keri Russell, 50. In an interview, Russell explained that Rhys was very nervous about speaking during the awards ceremony and she had previously told him it wasn't necessary to thank her because she understood his anxiety. She also mentioned a similar situation in 2018 when Rhys won for "The Americans" but did not thank her either. Both actors agreed that there are many people involved in a production who might deserve recognition before partners, and Russell emphasized that it's ultimately up to the winner how they use their time on stage.
Written for “Emmys 2026 Controversy” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
I mean, we were all nervous. …
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we → mean → ?
But, you know, it’s a lot.
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it → know → ?
It’s a lot of pressure,” Russell, 50, said.
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Russell → ’ → pressure
“We’re both nervous people.
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We → ’re → ?
We’re not in that world that much.
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We → ’re → world
We visit that world, and so we were both so nervous.
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we → visit → world
“I looked at him a few days before and I said, ‘OK, well, can you articulate what you’re most nervous about?'” she continued.
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she → look → him
“And he’s like, ‘Yeah, having to speak.’
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he → ’ → ?
And I said, ‘Totally.’
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I → say → ?
And I said, ‘Take me off your plate.
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I → say → plate
Like, you don’t have to thank me.
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you → have → me
I know you love me.'”
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you → know → me
The “Felicity” actress also recalled Rhys’ 2018 Emmy win for lead actor in a drama series for “The Americans,” saying people “still give him a hard time” for not thanking them in his acceptance speech.
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people → recall → speech
“It’s so crazy.
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It → ’ → ?
People get nuts,” she said.
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she → get → ?
“It’s stupid, and it’s also lame.”
Handler, 51, pointed out that there are plenty of people who work on a production who might deserve to be thanked before someone’s partner, to which Russell agreed.
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Russell → ’ → which
“I don’t care if you want to thank the dog walker.
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you → care → walker
You do whatever you want to do.
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you → do → whatever
That’s your minute.
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That → ’ → ?
That’s your 45 seconds,” Russell said.
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Russell → ’ → ?
“So I just said, ‘Take me off your plate.’
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I → say → plate
“We kind of said to each other, ‘We don’t have to thank each other.
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We → say → other
Thank whoever you want to thank.'”
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you → thank → whoever
Rhys, 51, made history at the 2026 Emmys, taking home the award for lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie for “The Beast in Me” before winning lead actor in a comedy series for “Widow’s Bay” — which swept the night with 14 total wins.
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which → make → wins
Russell, for her part, was nominated for lead actress in a drama series for “The Diplomat” and also received a nod as an executive producer on the series.
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Russell → nominate → series
During Rhys’ acceptance speech for “The Beast in Me,” Rhys joked, “Oh, good grief.
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Rhys → joke → Me
If you try and taunt me, I’ll stab you in the eyes with this,” referring to his Emmy statuette, before thanking the show’s writers and director.
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I → try → writers
He went on to single out his co-star, Claire Danes, saying the cast was “certainly led ferociously, fiercely [and] fervently” by her.
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cast → go → her
“Thank you for letting me join the mystery machine and bringing out the beast,” he added.
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he → thank → beast
“You are an intimidating scene partner, but I’m very grateful for all of this.”
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I → ’m → this
He then turned his attention to his family, giving special shout-outs to his parents and sister.
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He → turn → parents
“They just kicked me onto a stage from a very early age,” he said of his parents.
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he → kick → parents
“My sister, who’s here tonight … turns out she was the brains of the outfit all along.
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she → ’ → outfit
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