Emmy Predictions 2026 - Who Will Likely Be Nominated for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series?

From June 11 to 22, 2026, voting is taking place for The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards. As such, it's fun to look at which actors and shows have the best chances of actually being nominated this year. So, these are my predictions for which performers will be nominated for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

Performers most likely to be nominated:

1. Jean Smart for HBO Max's Hacks
2. Lisa Kudrow for HBO's The Comeback
3. Quinta Brunson for ABC's Abbott Elementary
4. Elle Fanning for Apple TV's Margo's Got Money Troubles
5. Ayo Edebiri for FX's The Bear

Serious threats that could break through:

1. Kristen Bell for Netflix's Nobody Wants This
2. Rachel Sennott for HBO's I Love LA
3. Tina Fey for Netflix's The Four Seasons
4. Keke Palmer for Peacock's The 'Burbs
5. Selena Gomez for Hulu's Only Murders in the Building
6. Jenna Ortega for Netflix's Wednesday
7. Maya Rudolph for Apple TV's Loot
8. Kristen Wiig for Apple TV's Palm Royale

Some considerable long-shots:

1. Natasha Lyonne for Peacock's Poker Face
2. Taylor Ortega for Netflix's Big Mistakes
3. Kate Hudson for Netflix's Running Wild
4. Laura Linney for MGM+'s American Classic
5. Elizabeth Banks for Peacock's The Miniature Wife
6. Rose Byrne for Apple TV's Platonic
7. Sabrina Impacciatore for Peacock's The Paper
8. Carrie Preston for CBS' Elsbeth

Colorful oddities that still have an outside chance:

1. Malin Akerman and Brittany Snow for Netflix's The Hunting Wives
2. Jane Kaczmarek for Disney+'s Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair
3. Leanne Morgan for Netflix's Leanne
4. Emilia Clarke for Peacock's PONIES
5. Wendi McLendon-Covey and Allison Tolman for NBC's St. Denis Medical
6. Reba McEntire for NBC's Happy's Place
7. Vic Michaelis for Dropout's Very Important People

The nominations for The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, July 8. The winners will be awarded in a ceremony broadcast on NBC on Monday, September 14.