Online viewers expected Keri Russell to feature in Matthew Rhys’s award acknowledgements, but she actually urged him beforehand to leave her off his list entirely. Rhys secured two lead acting prizes on the same night during the September ceremony.
When Keri Russell appeared on Chelsea Handler’s podcast, she addressed viewer reactions to the September 14, 2026, ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. During the event, Rhys won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Apple TV+’s Widow’s Bay and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Netflix’s The Beast in Me. While he thanked collaborators, his parents, his sister, and his homeland of Wales, some social media users noticed that Russell’s name went unmentioned.
Russell clarified that the omission was intentional and pre-arranged at her own suggestion. Take me off your plate. Like, you don’t have to thank me. I know you love me,
Russell told Handler she advised Rhys a few days before the ceremony, noting that he was exceptionally nervous about public speaking. At the 2026 Emmys, the 51-year-old actor secured a historic victory by capturing the trophy for lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie for “The Beast in Me” prior to grabbing the lead actor in a comedy series prize for “Widow’s Bay” — a program that dominated the evening with a staggering 14 victories overall.
Historic Wins at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards
Rhys set a milestone at the 2026 Emmy Awards by becoming the first man to win Lead Actor awards in multiple major categories on the same evening. He acknowledged his co-star Claire Danes during his speech for The Beast in Me, thanking her for leading the cast ferociously, fiercely [and] fervently.
Later, accepting his award for Widow’s Bay, he admitted backstage that his impromptu remarks stemmed from a lack of formal preparation.
“I didn’t really prepare anything, which is why I vomited that speech.”
Matthew Rhys, speaking to E! News
While Rhys focused his gratitude on production crews and family members—including his parents and his sister—online commentators criticized the lack of a public nod to Russell. Viewers on platforms like X posted pointed remarks about the omission, drawing comparisons to his 2018 win for The Americans, where a similar lack of mention drew complaints from production staff.
Redefining Acceptance Speeches
Russell defended her partner against ongoing criticism from viewers, calling the persistent complaints about unmentioned names stupid and it’s also lame.
She emphasized that acceptance speeches belong to the individual and their production collaborators. That’s your minute. That’s your 45 seconds,
she told Handler, adding that private relationships do not need public broadcasting.
The couple first met on the set of “The Americans” in 2012 and later began dating after co-starring as Soviet sleeper agents on the show. They share a 10-year-old son, Sam, born in May 2016, and Rhys also acts as a parent to Russell’s two children from a previous marriage. More than two decades ago, during a 2023 appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Rhys shared that he managed to acquire Russell’s phone number at a kickball gathering organized by Jennifer Grey.
