Emmys surprise with Chase Infiniti and Ariana Madix nominations

Chase Infiniti and Ariana Madix emerged as the day’s sharpest Emmy surprises when the Television Academy unveiled its 78th Primetime Emmy Award nominations from the Saban Media Center in Los Angeles. Infiniti earned her first nomination for lead actress in a drama series for The Testaments, while Madix was named in the reality competition host category for Love Island USA.

The pair’s recognition landed in a field led by HBO Max’s The Pitt, which finished with 25 nominations, and Hacks, which reached 24 and set a new single-year comedy-series record. The nominations were announced by Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller, with the 78th Emmy Awards set to air September 14 on NBC and Peacock from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Madix’s nomination is a clear sign of how strongly reality television now shapes the awards conversation. She joined a host field that also reflected the format’s long-running franchises and its newer hits, with nominees including Dancing With the Stars, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Survivor, Top Chef and The Traitors. The omission of The Amazing Race was one of the day’s most notable snubs, given the CBS competition series’ long run as an Emmys fixture in the category.

Infiniti’s nomination carried a different kind of significance. Her breakthrough came in a drama field that also included Carrie Coon, Keri Russell, Rhea Seehorn and Zendaya, putting a first-time nominee into a lineup still anchored by some of television’s most established names. That mix of newcomers and veteran performers underscored a broader shift in the race, where 28 actors collected their first Emmy nominations this year.

The larger nomination picture reinforced that change. There were 555 program submissions across the 14 program categories, down from 600 a year earlier, even as several newer faces moved into contention. The result was a ballot that still gave major space to familiar prestige titles, but also made room for performers and hosts whose profiles have risen through streaming, unscripted television and fast-moving fan attention.

Jon Hamm’s disqualification from the guest drama actor race for The Morning Show added another wrinkle to an already unusual Emmy morning. He was removed after a submission error and a rule change that bars previously nominated lead or supporting actors from competing as guest performers for the same role, though he remains eligible in other categories, including for Your Friends & Neighbors. In a year when newer names broke through and legacy titles lost ground, the nominations showed an awards system still adjusting to where television now draws its attention.