Sabrina Carpenter Wins First Emmy for The Muppet Show Special, Putting Her Halfway to EGOT
Sabrina Carpenter has won her first Emmy, taking home Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) at the 78th Emmy Awards for hosting ABC/Disney+'s The Muppet Show special. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards were held on 5 and 6 September 2026, where the Television Academy announced the first-night winners (Deadline).
Carpenter already holds two Grammy Awards. With an Emmy now on the shelf, she sits halfway to EGOT status — the rare quartet of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony that only a handful of performers have completed (Deadline).
She celebrated on her Instagram Story, crediting the "hard work and diva fights" behind the special. The phrase nods to the creative friction that goes into mounting a variety show with puppet performers, celebrity guests and musical numbers — all in the spirit of Jim Henson's original (Deadline).
The special also picked up Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special at the 78th Emmys (Television Academy). It was directed by Alex Timbers, who executive-produced alongside a roster that includes Seth Rogen, James Weaver and Alex McAtee through Point Grey Pictures; David Lightbody, Leigh Slaughter and Michael Steinbach through The Muppets Studio; and Carpenter herself with Albertina Rizzo, Matt Vogel and Eric Jacobson. The production came from 20th Television, Disney Branded Television, The Muppets Studio and Point Grey Pictures (Deadline).
Behind the special sits a bigger bet. The Muppet Show was conceived as a backdoor pilot — a standalone special that, if successful, would spawn a full Muppet Show television series on Disney+. Carpenter, who has spoken for years about her love of the Muppets and once named Kermit as her favourite Hollywood date, was tapped to host and anchor the project (Deadline).
The original Muppet Show, created by Jim Henson, ran from 1976 to 1981 and aired in over 100 countries. All five seasons are available to stream on Disney+ (Deadline).
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards main ceremony is set for 14 September 2026 (Television Academy). The Television Academy's first-night recap, published 6 September, covered winners from the Creative Arts ceremony across categories including variety specials, reality and late-night — with the Muppets and Mariska Hargitay among those featured in the coverage (Television Academy).
For the people who made the special, the Emmy is a signal that a 200-crew production — writers' room, puppeteers, musical team — landed where it needed to. The bigger question, whether Disney+ moves from special to series order, has not yet been answered.
