The four guest races are some of the most competitive and unpredictable categories each year at the Emmys, as little-known actors hope to stand out against famous faces and Hollywood veterans.
As we approach the nominations-round voting period (June 11 to June 22), networks and studios are pulling out all the stops to ensure their contenders get the attention they deserve, including in the guest contests. Below, we break down the early front-runners in all four categories, per the Gold Derby Emmy data. The nominations will be announced July 8.
A quick reminder about the Television Academy’s eligibility rules. Guest contenders must appear in fewer than 50% of the eligible episodes, and they cannot have been previously nominated for the same show and role in lead and/or supporting. Even if someone meets the guest star criteria, they have the option of submitting elsewhere — that’s exactly what last year’s winner Shawn Hatosy (The Pitt) is doing this time around.
Best Drama Guest Actress
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Shailene Woodley top the odds for Best Drama Guest Actress with a 94% chance of receiving a nomination. She plays apocalypse survivor Annie Clay in three episodes of Paradise Season 2, though her presence is felt all the way through to the finale. Notably, Emmy voters wouldn’t have to fast-forward to find her, since she appears in every scene of the premiere. This would be Woodley’s second career bid after Big Little Lies (2017).
Other major contenders in this race include Miriam Shor (Pluribus), Tal Anderson (The Pitt), Brittany Allen (The Pitt), Merritt Wever (The Gilded Age), and Ayesha Harris (The Pitt). From this group, all would be first-time nominees except for Wever, who already has three Emmys on her shelf for Nurse Jackie (2013), Godless (2018), and Severance (2025).
Best Drama Guest Actor
Emmy Awards Nominations 2026
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With a leading 92% chance, Slow Horses guest star Jonathan Pryce is on track to receive his fifth career Emmy nomination after previously being up for this show in 2024, plus Barbarians at the Gate (1993), Cranford (2010), and The Crown (2024). He plays David Cartwright, a retired MI5 officer and the grandfather of Jack Lowden’s River. Two years ago, Pryce lost the Best Drama Guest Actor race to Néstor Carbonell (Shōgun), but he’s not a factor this time around.
The projected lineup also includes the late Eric Dane (Euphoria), Jeff Kober (The Pitt), Jeff Hiller (Pluribus), Giancarlo Esposito (The Boys), and Bradley Whitford (The Diplomat). Hiller took home an Emmy last year for Somebody Somewhere, while Whitford won a trio of trophies for The West Wing (2001), Transparent (2015), and The Handmaid’s Tale (2019). Esposito is still looking for his first win after earning nods for Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Mandalorian, and The Boys.
Best Comedy Guest Actress
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Hacks scene-stealer Kaitlin Olson has already been recognized twice in Best Comedy Guest Actress for playing DJ, the daughter of Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance. Now she has a 92% chance of earning a third, thanks to her performance in The Amazing Race-inspired episode. (She also has a short-form acting nomination to her name for Flipped in 2020.) Olson’s biggest competition might be coming from inside the house, as Emmy fave Cherry Jones — a three-time winner for 24 (2009), The Handmaid’s Tale (2019), and Succession (2020) — is also in our Top 3.
Others to watch out for in this category include Candice Bergen (Shrinking), Jamie Lee Curtis (The Bear), Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live), and Cobie Smulders (Shrinking). Bergen famously won five Emmys for Murphy Brown, Curtis claimed one for The Bear (2024), and Poehler prevailed for hosting Saturday Night Live (2016).
Best Comedy Guest Actor
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WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 24: Toby Huss attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Paramount +’s “Fatal Attraction” at SilverScreen Theater on April 24, 2023 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images)
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David Zayas attends the “Allswell” premiere during the 2022 Tribeca Festival at Village East Cinema on June 13, 2022 in New York City.
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 01: Mikey Day attends the American Museum of Natural History’s 2022 Museum Gala on December 01, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for American Museum of Natural History )
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Michael J. Fox is a beloved performer whose real-life struggles with Parkinson’s disease greatly influenced his Shrinking character, Gerry, who appears alongside Harrison Ford’s Paul Rhoades in three episodes of Season 3. Fox tops the Best Comedy Guest Actor lineup with a 94% chance of receiving a nom. He already has five Emmys at home for Family Ties (1986, ’87, and ’88), Spin City (2000), and Rescue Me (2009).
Fox’s possible co-nominees include the late Rob Reiner (The Bear), Brett Goldstein (Shrinking), Jeff Daniels (Shrinking), Jon Bernthal (The Bear), and Connor Storrie (Saturday Night Live). Reiner won twice for All in the Family (1974 and 1978), Goldstein earned a pair for Ted Lasso (2021 and ’22), Daniels claimed trophies for The Newsroom (2013) and Godless (2018), and Bernthal pawed one for The Bear (2024).
