Matthew Rhys Wins Second Statuette Of The Night With ‘Widow’s Bay,’ Setting Two Emmys Records

Matthew Rhys has won the 2026 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, for his turn as Mayor Tom Loftis in Apple’s horror comedy Widow’s Bay. This is Rhys’ second win of the night, after taking the Limited Series Actor prize for his turn as a menacing real estate mogul in Netflix’s The Beast in Me. The Widow’s Bay win makes him the first actor in history with wins across all three lead categories (Comedy, Drama & Limited Series/Movie), as well as the first to win two of these categories in one night. Previously, the actor won Drama Lead Actor for FX’s The Americans in 2018. “My apologies to the women who’ve had to stand again,” Rhys said as he opened his speech to a standing ovation. “Stephen [Root] is right: This [win] is purely because of the depraved and twisted mind of Katie Dippold, and her genius really does live in the recesses of her disturbed brain.” Watch on Deadline Rhys went on to pay tribute to director-EP Hiro Murai, as well as a quartet of Apple execs (Zack Van Amburg, Jamie Erlicht, Dana Tuinier and Spencer Wong), his “wonderful cast,” the “crew of all crews” and multiple of his longtime reps. “33 years ago, a man by the name Dallas Smith took a big swing on me, and for that reason, Dal, you have my lifelong indebted gratitude,” he said. “Thanks to all the others who did exactly the same, not least my dear old friend, Duncan Millership, whose hard work and tenacity I see and appreciate everyday, but far more I appreciate our lifelong friendship. Barry Buren, you know what you did — all of you at CAA.” Rhys continued: “Obviously my parents, they just kicked me onto a stage from a very early age. My sister, who’s here tonight, turns out she was the brains of the outfit all along. Thank you for all the sage words and patient listening.” In closing, Rhys thanked “the great and good people of Wales, who were as much a nurturer as anyone else.” RELATED: Emmy Winners For Best Comedy Since 1952: Photo Gallery While Rhy’s win tonight for The Beast in Me came as a surprise, he was the clear favorite to win in Lead Actor Comedy. His fellow nominees included Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Wonder Man), Steve Carell (Rooster), and Jason Segel (Shrinking). Even before tonight, Rhys made Emmys history by joining Jason Bateman to become one of only two male performers to achieve career nominations across all three major lead acting categories: drama, comedy, and limited series/movie. His nominations this year got him to eight, total. RELATED: Here Are The Actors Who Have Won The Most Emmys: Photo Gallery The most recognized new show on TV this season, Widow’s Bay scored a total of 19 nominations, with earlier wins tonight for Rhys’ co-stars Kate O’Flynn and Stephen Root. Previously, at the Creative Arts Emmys, Betty Gilpin won for a guest role, as the show landed additional statuettes for its music supervision, production design, sound editing mixing, music composition, casting, and cinematography. Created, written and showrun by Katie Dippold, Widow’s Bay is set on a mysteriously cursed New England island, where a relentlessly optimistic mayor (Rhys) tries to turn the isolated community into the next Nantucket while ignoring its superstitious residents’ warnings of impending doom. RELATED: 2026 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery The show premiered in April and has been renewed for a second season; creator Dippold signed a multi-year overall deal with Apple as that played out. Also starring Dale Dickey, Kevin Carroll and Jeff Hiller, the show is exec produced by Dippold, Murai, Claudia Shin, Carver Karaszewski and Rhys. Upcoming, Rhys will be seen in another Apple series — the second season of the streamer’s hit legal drama Presumed Innocent.