Watch: Martin Short Hilariously Rips Up Speech After Losing Emmy to Matthew Rhys
There weren’t only cheers in the building for Matthew Rhys on Emmys 2026 night.
Martin Short pretended to be outraged by the Widow’s Bay star’s win in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category, with cameras catching the 76-year-old hilariously ripping up what would’ve been his acceptance speech when Rhys took to the stage at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater on Sept. 14. (Click here for a complete list of winners.)
And Steve Martin later shared a look at what remained of his Only Murders in the Building costar’s destroyed note.
As seen in a photo of a torn piece of paper posted to Instagram during the Mariska Hargitay-hosted award show, the speech included a shoutout to Martin and a person who Short said was “kind enough to hire me.”
Other parts of Short’s list of recognitions also included a nod to a “brilliant” friend and “so many” other people.
Short was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series alongside Rhys, as well as Rooster‘s Steve Carell, Shrinking‘s Jason Segel and Wonder Man‘s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
Rhys’ victory in the category helped him make Emmys history as the first man to win two lead acting trophies in a single night, having also nabbed the prize for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie for his work in The Beast in Me.
Steve Martin/Instagram
With his impressive double wins, Rhys—who took home the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2018 for The Americans—now holds the record as the first performer to have received an Emmy across all three genres.
But, unlike Short, the Welsh actor admittedly “didn’t really prepare anything” in terms of an acceptance speech for his big night.
Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
“Which is why I vomited that speech,” he told E! News backstage. “These events are kind of incredible and incredulous—and kind of bizarre—and everything in between. I think a healthy sense of humor always helps.”
To see who else won big at the 2026 Emmys, keep reading…
Don’t miss the Emmy Awards 2026 live telecast tonight, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on NBC and streaming on Peacock. E!’s red carpet kicks off at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.
