In the third season of HBO‘s The Gilded Age, Christine Baranski‘s Agnes van Rhijn is forced to step down from her leadership role as matriarch of her family’s estate. But there’s no stepping down for the actress.
Gold Derby has exclusively learned that Baranski is being upped from supporting to lead actress consideration at the 2026 Emmy Awards. The news comes after she was nominated as a supporting actress for the second season. Baranski has amassed 16 Emmy nods throughout her career, winning once for Cybill (1995).
Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector join Baranski in the lead-acting categories for their roles as Bertha Russell and George Russell, respectively. Coon received an Emmy bid for Season 2 of The Gilded Age; she also contended for Fargo and The White Lotus. Spector is still looking for his first notice from the Television Academy.
To date, The Gilded Age has received seven Emmy noms, including Best Drama Series for its sophomore run. It took home the trophy for Best Production Design for its first season.
Baranski, Coon, and Spector are among the 15 cast members being entered for Emmy consideration by HBO. The nine supporting players are Denée Benton, Taissa Farmiga, Louisa Jacobson, Audra McDonald, Cynthia Nixon, Phylicia Rashad, Ben Ahlers, Harry Richardson, and Blake Ritson. The three guest stars are Merritt Wever, Bill Camp, and Nathan Lane.
The Season 3 finale, “My Mind Is Made Up,” is being put forward in multiple fields — including directing, writing, cinematography, choreography, hairstyling, makeup, music, picture editing, and sound — demonstrating the studio’s faith in it. The season ends at a swanky Newport ball, following George’s assassination attempt and separation from Bertha.
Here are all of the categories in which The Gilded Age is submitting for the 2026 Emmys. Specific episode titles are listed where applicable.
Best Drama Series
Producers TBD
Best Drama Actress
Christine Baranski
Carrie Coon
Best Drama Actor
Morgan Spector
Best Drama Supporting Actress
Denée Benton
Taissa Farmiga
Louisa Jacobson
Audra McDonald
Cynthia Nixon
Phylicia Rashad
Best Drama Supporting Actor
Ben Ahlers
Harry Richardson
Blake Ritson
Best Drama Guest Actress
Merritt Wever (“Marriage Is a Gamble”)
Best Drama Guest Actor
Bill Camp (“If You Want to Cook an Omelette”)
Nathan Lane (“Ex-Communicated”)
Best Drama Directing
Michael Engler (“Marriage Is a Gamble”)
Deborah Kampmeier (“A Different World”)
Salli Richardson Whitfield (“My Mind Is Made Up”)
Best Drama Writing
Julian Fellowes and Sonja Warfield (“My Mind Is Made Up”)
Best Drama Casting
Series
Best Cinematography (One Hour)
“My Mind Is Made Up”
“A Different World”
Best Choreography
“My Mind Is Made Up”
Best Costumes (Period)
“Marriage is a Gamble”
Best Hairstyling (Period/Fantasy)
“My Mind Is Made Up”
Best Makeup (Period/Fantasy)
“My Mind Is Made Up”
Best Music Composition
“My Mind Is Made Up”
Best Music Supervision
“My Mind Is Made Up”
Best Picture Editing
“Who Is in Charge Here?”
“My Mind Is Made Up”
Best Production Design (Period/Fantasy)
“If You Want to Cook an Omelette”
Best Sound Editing
“My Mind Is Made Up”
Best Sound Mixing
“My Mind Is Made Up”
Best Visual Effects
Series
Emmy contenders not put forward by the studio can still self-submit. The nominations will be announced July 8.
