Television Academy Inducts Seven Into Hall of Fame, From Ted Danson to the Creators of South Park
The Television Academy inducted seven new members into its Hall of Fame on Thursday night, August 13, 2026, at a ceremony held at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles (LA Mag).
The class of 2026 — the 28th edition of the Hall of Fame — includes Ted Danson, Jean Smart, Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Ted Sarandos, Sheila Nevins and Ed Bradley (The Hollywood Reporter). The Academy first announced the inductees on June 30, 2026 (Television Academy).
Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park, entered the Hall of Fame on a date with a particular resonance: August 13, 1997, was the day South Park first aired — exactly 29 years before the ceremony. The animated series has earned five Emmy awards, and Parker and Stone also created the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon (The Hollywood Reporter).
Matt Stone credited deadlines for the show's longevity. Trey Parker said he used ChatGPT to help write his acceptance speech but was not satisfied with the results (The Hollywood Reporter).
Jean Smart was inducted by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky — the creative team behind Hacks, the HBO series in which Smart plays veteran comedian Deborah Vance, a role that has earned her multiple Emmy wins (Television Academy). Smart first broke through as Charlene Frazier on the 1980s sitcom Designing Women and has since appeared in Frasier, 24, Samantha Who?, Fargo, Watchmen and Mare of Easttown (The Hollywood Reporter).
Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, was inducted by Jerry Seinfeld (Television Academy). Sheila Nevins, the longtime president of HBO Documentary Films, could not attend in person after contracting COVID and pneumonia, and delivered a taped acceptance speech instead. Actress Lily Tomlin introduced her (The Hollywood Reporter).
Ed Bradley, who died in 2006, was honoured posthumously. He spent 25 years at 60 Minutes and reported on more than 500 stories. CBS News correspondent Lesley Stahl remembered him at the ceremony. Bradley's widow, Patricia Blanchet, accepted the honour and called his refusal to be defined solely by race a "radical act" (The Hollywood Reporter).
The ceremony took place during Televerse 26, the Television Academy's broader industry event, which also featured an I Love Lucy 75th anniversary live script reading, an advance screening of Ryan Murphy's FX series The Shards, a Modern Family craft panel and a celebration of Big Brother's 1000th episode (Television Academy).
The Hall of Fame ceremony came one day after the Television Academy announced its juried winners for the 78th Emmy Awards. Final-round Emmy voting opens on August 17, 2026 (Television Academy).
