When an actor is nominated for an Emmy Award, it’s a big deal. After all, close to a Golden Globe or a Screen Actors Guild Award, it’s the biggest honor any TV actor could get. So, of course, when someone is nominated, their whole family is celebrating.
But, when it comes to some Hollywood power couples, there have been years where both people are nominated for the honor. From Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz to Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon, some couples have called for a double celebration when Emmy season came along!
This year, for example, a whopping five couples are both nominated for awards. Among them are Billy Crudup (for The Morning Show) and Naomi Watts (for Feud: Capote vs. The Swans), Sarah Paulson (for Mr. & Mrs. Smith) and Holland Taylor (for The Morning Show) and Rob McElhenney (for Welcome to Wrexham) and Kaitlin Olson (for her guest star in Hacks).
So, in honor of these five ultra-talented Emmy-nominated couples, we’ve taken a trip down memory lane to see all the couples who have been nominated for Emmys in the same year. Take a trip through small-screen history below!
-
Sarah Paulson & Holland Taylor
Image Credit: Variety via Getty Images Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor are the first couple in this list nominated for this year’s Emmys! Taylor is nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series for her work on The Morning Show while Paulson was nominated for her guest-acting role as a therapist on Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Michaela Coel was already announced as the winner in that category.
-
Billy Crudup & Naomi Watts
Image Credit: John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images Billy Crudup and Naomi Watts are another double-nominated duo! Crudup is nominated in the Supporting Actor category for The Morning Show while Watts is up for Lead Actress in Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.
-
Rob McElhenney & Kaitlin Olson
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia royalty Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson were nominated in this year’s Emmys in completely different categories.
cElhenney already won the Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program Award for his role as executive producer in his docuseries, Welcome to Wrexham. Olson, on the other hand, was up for the Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series award for her work in Hacks. Jamie Lee Curtis won the award instead.
-
Carrie Coon & Tracy Letts
Image Credit: John Salangsang/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images Carrie Coon and Tracy Letts will be another nominated duo Sunday night. Coon is up for the Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series Award for her role in The Gilded Age while Letts was nominated for the Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series Award for his performance in Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty. Nestor Carbonell won for his role in Shōgun instead.
-
Lucia Aniello & Paul W. Downs
Image Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs are not only multi-Emmy-nominated artists, but most of their nominations came from working together too!
Since 2021, Aniello has been nominated for nine Emmys for her work in Hacks for producing, writing and directing.
Her husband Downs also has many Hacks nominations to his name for acting, producing and writing. In 2024, they’re both nominated for Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series and Outstanding Comedy Series while Downs got a nod for Supporting Actor and Aniello is nominated for Outstanding Directing.
-
Keri Russell & Matthew Rhys
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys were so incredible together in The Americans that it led to quite a few Emmy nominations. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, the couple was nominated in both the Lead Actress and Lead Actor categories. In 2018, Rhys took home the prize.
-
Tina Fey & Jeff Richmond
Image Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images Speaking of couples who work together a lot, Tina Fey and Jeff Richmond have earned quite a few Emmy nods together (and apart!) over the years. Fey has garnered a whopping 45 nominations while Richmond has 17. Their last joint nomination was in 2020 when they were nominated for Outstanding Television Movie for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend.
-
Kirsten Dunst & Jesse Plemons
Image Credit: John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons are another couple whose best work might be the one they do together. In 2016, they were both nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress and Supporting Actor for their work in Fargo.
Dunst and Plemons were also both nominated for Oscars in 2022!
-
Kyra Sedgwick & Kevin Bacon
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images In 2009, Hollywood power couple Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon had a lot to celebrate when they both landed Emmy nods. Sedgwick was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in The Closer while Bacon was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie for Taking Chance.
-
Ali Wong & Bill Hader
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association While we’re not too sure when Ali Wong and Bill Hader started dating in 2022, both of them landed individual nominations in 2022 and 2023.
Wong was nominated for Outstanding Writing For A Variety Special in 2022 and won two nods in 2023 for the limited series Beef. Hader, on the other hand, received multiple nods for writing, directing and acting in Barry.
-
Tom Pelphrey & Kaley Cuoco
Image Credit: Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images In 2022, Tom Pelphrey and Kaley Cuoco had plenty of reason to celebrate: they were expecting their first baby (their adorable daughter Tildy who was born in 2023!) and they both landed Emmy nods.
Pelphrey was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series for his role in Ozark while Cuoco got her third Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series nod for The Flight Attendant.
-
Jim Carter & Imelda Staunton
Image Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images The iconic Mr. Carson in Downton Abbey, Jim Carter, was nominated four times for his role in the drama series from 2012 to 2015. In 2013, his nod coincided with his wife Imelda Staunton’s nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie for The Girl.
-
William H. Macy & Felicity Huffman
Image Credit: Rob Latour/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images Actor William H. Macy has an impressive 15 nominations for Emmys throughout his career while his wife, Felicity Huffman, has five. Each year she earned a nod for Desperate Housewives or American Crime, Macy also got a nod, either for Shameless, The Wool Cap and Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From The Stories Of Stephen King.
-
Jennifer Aniston & Brad Pitt
Image Credit: Steve Eichner/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images Throughout Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt‘s five-year marriage from 2000 to 2005, Aniston was nominated for her role as Rachel in Friends five years in a row. In 2002, Pitt also got a nod for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series for his guest role as Will, Ross’ longtime friend who, funnily enough, absolutely hated Rachel.
-
Tracy Pollan & Michael J. Fox
Image Credit: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images In 2000, Tracy Pollan received her first-ever nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series for her role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. That same year, her husband, Michael J. Fox, won the Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series Award for Spin City.
-
Hank Azaria & Helen Hunt
Image Credit: Donato Sardella/Penske Media via Getty Images From 1992 to 1999, Helen Hunt starred in the fan-loved series Mad About You and was nominated for an Emmy every year it aired. In 1998, actor Hank Azaria, who dated Hunt from 1994 until their divorce in 2000, got two nominations: Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for The Simpsons and Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series for, you guessed it, Mad About You.
-
Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Brad Hall
Image Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images In 1992, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and her longtime husband Brad Hall both got Emmy nods. He was nominated as a producer for Outstanding Comedy Series on the short-lived series Brooklyn Bridge, while she earned the first of many supporting nods for playing Elaine on Seinfeld.
-
Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection With a show as iconic as I Love Lucy, it’s no wonder that both Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz got their flowers. From 1952 to 1955, they were nominated for Best Situation Comedy and Best Actress.
-
Jane Wagner & Lily Tomlin
Image Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage via Getty Images Jane Wagner and Lily Tomlin were quite a dynamic duo whenever they worked together. In 1973, they earned their first-ever Emmy nominations for writing The Lily Tomlin Show. In the following years, they’d go on to win Emmys for writing Lily in 1974, score nominations in 1976 for The Lily Tomlin Special and win for 1981’s Lily: Sold Out.
-
Danny Devito & Rhea Perlman
Image Credit: Fairchild Archive/Penske Media via Getty Images Both Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman have garnered numerous Emmy nominations over the years. In 1983, their nominations coincided with Devito getting a nod for Outstanding Supporting Actor for Taxi while Perlman was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress for Cheers.
-
Julia Roberts & Danny Moder
Image Credit: Rob Latour/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images In 2014, Julia Roberts’ husband Danny Moder was nominated for his first-ever Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography For A Miniseries for The Normal Heart. Roberts was also nominated for the movie, but in the Outstanding Supporting Actress category.
