ANAHEIM, Calif. — What better way to capture the excitement of an Emmy Award nomination than to become the trophy itself?

Comedian and actress Meg Stalter showed up on the red carpet at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, painted head to toe in gold and dressed like a life-size Emmy Award.

Stalter, known for her full commitment to the bit, even shouldered golden wings and held up a sphere like the real-life trophy itself. For the comedy star, it isn’t just about channeling the spirits of the Emmys; it’s also clearly about embracing the excitement of her first nomination.

Sure, she’s attended before, but this is the first time she’s attending the ceremony as a nominee, and if she wants to spray herself in gold paint and put on some wings to celebrate, she absolutely can.

Stalter earned her first career nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for playing Kayla Schaeffer in the fifth and final season of “Hacks.” She’s also been having herself a year, making her Broadway debut this summer by taking over the title role in Cole Escola’s “Oh, Mary!”

The actress is known for leaning into comedy when she has an audience and a spotlight. At the Critics’ Choice Awards in January, she and her “Hacks” co-star Paul W. Downs spoofed the orange fashion inspired by Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner’s coordinating outfits at the “Marty Supreme” premiere.

According to an article in The Wrap, Downs was also the first to tell Stalter about her first Emmy nomination, after she initially missed a FaceTime call while watching reality television and thought he was joking.

“I texted her ‘Meg,’ and then she’s like, ‘What? What’s going on?'” Downs recalled in The Wrap interview. “Once I convinced her that I wasn’t pranking her, she was shaking,” Downs said. “She couldn’t believe it.”

Stalter’s nomination wasn’t the only first related to “Hacks.” The HBO Max series set an Emmy Awards record, earning 24 Emmy nominations for its fifth and final season and breaking the record for most nominations by a comedy series in a single year. “The Bear” previously set the record in 2024 with 23 nominations, and “The Studio” tied it last year.

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