Key Moments That Defined This Year's Emmy Nominees

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On July 15th, the 2025 Emmy Award nominations were announced, and expectedly, we all were delighted AND surprised to see the outcome.
Like really surprised.
And like every award season, there are some major nominations that signify the greatness of actors and the art that is television and cinema. This nomination announcement did not disappoint (okay, maybe a little) with its results. These are the significant moments from the nomination announcement that we all should applaud and celebrate:
Ayo Edebiri is the first female in Emmy history to be nominated as both an actor and a director for her work on The Bear.
In 2023, Ayo won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for The Bear. She was nominated in 2024 for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Comedy Series but lost to Hacks star Jean Smart. This year she is nominated again in the Outstanding Leading Actress in a Comedy Series category. And for the first time in her career, she is nominated for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series for her direction of the episode Napkins in The Bear.
Kathy Bates has become the oldest woman in history to be nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the age of 77, for the show Matlock.
As a decorated and celebrated actress and veteran of the industry, Kathy Bates has crossed several milestones, with this one adding to it. This nomination is very fitting, considering that she is planning to retire from acting after the show ends.
Big ensemble cast shows Severance and The Studio lead the Emmy nominations.
The two shows, both of Apple TV+, were the most-nominated TV shows for the 2025 Emmys. This also shows the shift of preference for streaming platforms, with Apple TV+, HBO Max, and Disney+ moving ahead of Netflix.Severance leads the race with 27 nominations, and The Studio with 23 nominations. And out of these nominations, 9 are for actors in Severance and 10 are for actors in the latter. This signals that guest stars and a known cast really racked up the views and popularity of the two shows, in addition to their scripts.
HBO's The Pitt received 13 nominations, including Outstanding Drama and Outstanding Leading Actor, and is finally getting its due appreciation.
These nominations are a major win for the show, but this signifies a bigger win for its creators. The show being a massive hit amongst fans is signaling the rise in appeal and appreciation for budget-friendly settings: the cast had a fixed fee per episode ranging from $35K to $50K, allowing for a modest budget of $4-5 million for each episode. The fixed fee is being picked up to adjust to larger episode drops and scheduling. Additionally, the strategy behind weekly episode drops to generate organic growth worked in the favor of the show, as it quickly became a fan favorite. And honestly, all of this recognition is much deserved!The notable nominations for the show are as follows: Noah Wyle for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Katherine LaNasa for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and The Pitt itself for Outstanding Drama Series, as well as two directing nods for Amanda Marsalis and John Wells for the 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. episodes.
Harrison Ford, Aimee Lou Wood, Cooper Koch, Kristen Bell, and many others get their first acting Emmy nomination!
Harrison Ford, the legendary actor, was nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category for the 2025 Emmys, marking his first-ever Emmy nod in his long and illustrious career. Similarly, Kristen Bell was nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for Nobody Wants This, Aimee Lou Wood for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for The White Lotus, and Cooper Koch for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. This marks their first acting Emmy nomination.
Owen Cooper, the breakout star in Netflix's successful show, Adolescence, becomes the youngest nominee in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series, making history!
Owen Cooper has become a breakout star with this critically acclaimed show. Earning a nomination as his first-ever acting gig is a major win for the young actor! And if he were to win the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, he would go on to become the youngest male winner in that category.
Martin Scorsese, the legendary director behind Taxi Driver and many others, lands his first-ever Emmy nomination for the show The Studio.
The director got the Emmy nod for his first foray into acting, for the "Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series," and it definitely was meaningful to him.
Martin Scorsese's daughter posted the moment he found out about his nominatation, and it really was the sweetest thing to witness.
Very wholesome.
Besides these impressive moments, this year's nomination announcement also revealed some shocking snubs of beloved actors and shows, such as Patrick Schwarzenegger for The White Lotus.
While the majority of the cast members of The White Lotus were included in the award race, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Michelle Monaghan, Sam Nivola, and Leslie Bibb didn't seem to make the cut. And given the high praise for Patrick in this season, this definitely was a letdown. Similarly, Elizabeth Moss was also snubbed for the last season of The Handmaid's Tale, where she had been nominated in the past for Outstanding Lead Actress four times, and even won once. Eddie Redmayne won a Golden Globe and a SAG award for his role in The Day Of The Jackal but missed an acting nomination at the Emmys. Similarly, Agatha All Along missed out on any acting nominations, the loved show Andor missed out in the acting category, and Squid Game season 2 had no nominations, a major shock compared to the run they had in season 1.
These Emmy Award 2025 nominations stand out as a testament to the fact that we are having the best television run currently. While the snubs were definitely surprising, I could not be more excited to see what other works are underway and who ultimately will walk away with an Emmy. It's moments like these that make me a true cinema and TV fan.
The 2025 Emmys will be broadcast on September 24.