The 2026 Emmy Awards are quite the occasion for Sally Field. The actor is nominated for her first Emmy in a whopping 17 years. On Monday night, she arrived at the ceremony as bright as the star she is, sheathed in a gown from Akris.
The Remarkably Bright Creatures actor, who was styled by Hayley Atkin, went simple in silhouette but made up for it with a bright and sparkly fabrication. In what was also her first major televised appearance since her Steel Magnolias co-star Dolly Parton passed away, Field rocked her gray tresses with a subtle side part, kept her specs on for the carpet, and accessorized with a satin Anouk Trapezoid Clutch from the brand.
Field's blue sequin gown at the 78th Emmy Awards falls right in line with her red carpet personal style, which we've seen over the last five decades. In its earliest iterations, she often wore sequins or at least shimmery fabrics. To this day, the 79-year-old actor tends to wear classic silhouettes on her big nights, but she'll zhuzh things up with light-reflecting finishes or sheer detailing.
This year, Field is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, her tenth Emmy nomination. Her fellow category nominees include Sarah Pidgeon, Sarah Snook, Claire Danes, and Carey Mulligan.
Sally Field at the 2026 Emmy Awards.
Field's Emmy Awards history dates back to 1977, when she won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series for Sybil. She went on to win again for a guest appearance on ER in 2001 and for playing matriarch Nora Walker on Brothers & Sisters in 2007.
Her 2007 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series victory also produced one of her more memorable Emmy fashion moments. Field accepted the award in a strapless fuchsia Valentino gown, accessorized with diamond jewelry and a metallic clutch.
Sally Field in Valentino at the 2007 Emmy Awards.
She returned as a nominee for Brothers & Sisters in both 2008 and 2009, when she walked the carpet in black gowns.
Tonight, Field's acting nomination brings her back to the same category where her Emmy career began in 1977. Whatever happens this evening, we're thinking about Field's speech at the 2007 Emmys. Then, in one of the most astonishing moments in Emmy history, the actor, amid an ode to moms everywhere, said, "If the mothers ruled the world, there would be no [expletive] wars in the first place." The TV network censored her comment, but the internet remembers.