Sally Field left stunned expressions on the faces of her fellow A-listers when she won her fourth Emmy Award on Monday.

The 79-year-old acting icon put on a hyperactive display from the moment her name was called until she finished her acceptance speech for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Netflix's Remarkably Bright Creatures.

Field turned her speech at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles into a rant as she defended the integrity of the film and television industry while appearing to shade the embattled Paramount–Warner Bros. merger.

After Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke and House of the Dragon actress Emma D'Arcy announced her name, Field rocked back and forth in her chair theatrically while appearing to shout 'No!'

'No! No! This was not supposed to happen!' she shouted into the microphone after making her way to the stage, before declaring that she would have to talk 'really, really quick.' 

After doing the standard thanks to Netflix and her Remarkably Bright Creatures costars Lewis Pullman and Alfred Molina, Field praised director Olivia Newman for how she filmed the Pacific Northwest as if it was another character, which helped her segue to the topic of Canada and set off her rant.

'And Canada, blessed Canada, our neighbors, our friends,' she said while pumping her fist, in an apparent allusion to Donald Trump's dueling tariffs with Canada and his taunts that the nation could become the 51st state of the US.

'I would not be up here. I have been so grateful and so proud to be a part of this community, the arts, for 62 years or something,' she said before launching into her rant, as fellow winner and Widow's Bay star Matthew Rhys was seen looking puzzled in the audience.

'With art, we matter. Our voices matter,' she continued. 'Our diversity, our unique storytelling matters.

'We can't let those voices be silenced, or compromised or merged,' she said, adding extra emphasis on the last word to turn the audience's attention to Paramount Skydance's attempt to buy up Warner Bros.

The merger move has been viciously opposed by numerous forces in Hollywood, including the actors union SAG-AFTRA, while the Writers Guild of America went as far as to sue to block the merger.

Twelve state attorneys general, led by California's Rob Bonta, have since joined the lawsuit to prevent Paramount from buying Warner Bros.

Field's politics shouldn't have been a surprise for anyone familiar with her many award wins over the years, as she picked up her first Academy Award for 1979's pro-union drama Norma Rae. 

Field won her second Oscar for 1984's Places in the Heart, and she was nominated for a third time for Steven Spielberg's 2012 historical drama Lincoln, in which she played Abraham Lincoln's wife Mary Todd.

Field, who has long been a supporter of Democratic politicians, has been nominated for nine Emmy Awards, with Monday night's honor marking her fourth win.

She won the first time she was nominated, for her lead role in the 1976 two-part made-for-TV film Sybil. 

Field scored her second Emmy in 2001, when she was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for ER, and she won again in 2007 in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category for Brothers & Sisters. 

Apple TV horror comedy series Widow's Bay was the biggest winner at the Emmy Awards 2026 as it swept the ceremony, with leading man Matthew Rhys making history as the first actor to win two leading acting gongs in different categories in one night.

On the drama side, it was once again The Pitt who was the big winner as the HBO Max series took home top honors Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama for Noah Wyle. They earned the same honors at last year's Emmys.

However, it was Widow's Bay that made the massive first impression on television's biggest night as it won in all six categories it was nominated in, including the top honor Outstanding Comedy Series.

The comedy-horror series beat out: Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Hacks, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Nobody Wants This, Only Murders in the Building, and Shrinking.

Widow's Bay is set in the fictional New England island town of Widow's Bay, which happens to be afflicted with a centuries-old curse that brings various supernatural evils upon the island

In addition to Rhys, top acting honors were earned by Kate O'Flynn and Stephen Root in the Outstanding Supporting Actress and Actor in a Comedy Series categories, respectively. 

However, their co-star Rhys was perhaps the biggest winner of the night as he made history by becoming the first actor to earn two leading acting honors in the same night.

He not only earned Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy series for the Apple TV series, but also took home Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me earlier in the evening. 

On the Apple TV series, the talented actor portrays Tom Loftis, mayor of Widow's Bay, as he is originally from the mainland and is initially skeptical of the local residents' superstitions about the island's supposed curse. He is a widower and father to a son, Evan, from his marriage to his deceased wife, Lauren. 

In the psychological thriller mini-series, Rhys portrays Nile Jarvis, who is the son of a real estate magnate who moves next door to the home of Aggie Wiggs [Clare Danes] in Oyster Bay, New York, on Long Island to live in a more secluded manner with his second wife, as he allegedly killed his first wife.  

The Pitt earned the top award of the night, Outstanding Drama Series, on a night where it earned 25 nominations, which was the most from any single series.

It faced stiff competition including: The Diplomat, The Gilded Age, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Paradise, Pluribus, Slow Horses, and Your Friends and Neighbors. 

The Pitt is centered around the daily lives of healthcare professionals in a Pittsburgh hospital as they juggle personal crises, workplace politics, and the emotional toll of treating critically ill patients, revealing the resilience required in their noble calling. 

Noah Wyle was the first to be awarded for the highly popular HBO Max series. 

The 55-year-old actor earned the win in the coveted Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category as he beat out Sterling K. Brown for Paradise, Gary Oldman for Slow Horses, Mark Ruffalo for Task and Rufus Sewell for The Diplomat.

On the series, he portrays Dr. Michael 'Robby' Robinavitch, who is the main protagonist of the show as he deals with trauma and PTSD alongside unresolved post-COVID stress.

Meanwhile, Rhea Seehorn earned one of the biggest wins of television's biggest night and beat one of the biggest stars in Zendaya to earn the honor. 

The 54-year-old actress triumphed in the Lead Actress in a Drama category at the Emmy Awards 2026 as she was recognized for her work in Pluribus.

Jean Smart earned her fifth Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy win in a row at the Emmy Awards 2026 on a night that featured a star-studded red carpet.

The 75-year-old talented actress was recognized for her work on Hacks, which just had its fifth and final season. 

Smart - who earned her eighth total Emmy in her 15th total nomination - was obviously emotional as her name was called and she was presented the honor by Zendaya.

Sally Field earned Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her work in Remarkably Bright Creatures. 

The 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards took place at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles on Monday night. Law & Order: SVU executive producer/star Mariska Hargitay served as host of the gala event, which marks the first time a woman has hosted the show in 15 years.