The 2026 Primetime Emmys air Monday, September 14th at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, and this year’s In Memoriam segment comes with a heavy heart. Noah Kahan will perform“Bridge Over Troubled Water,”the Simon&Garfunkel classic that topped the charts for six weeks in 1970 and took home Grammys for both Record and Song of the Year. Kahan’s stripped-down style is a natural fit for a song that has carried so many families through their hardest days.
But the moment most country fans are waiting for is the tribute to Dolly Parton. She passed away August 25 at age 80, and Monday’s show marks the first major awards-show salute to her since then. Dolly won her own Emmy in 2001 for“Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square,”and her presence on awards stages over the decades is the stuff of legend.
Mariska Hargitay hosts the ceremony from the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live, with presenters including Zendaya, Keke Palmer, Amy Poehler, Marcello Hernández and Alan Cumming. Michael J. Fox receives the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. The Emmys have a rich history with their In Memoriam performances, from Carrie Underwood to John Legend to Jelly Roll, and Kahan now joins that line.
Will you be watching Monday night to see the Dolly tribute? Tell us in the comments.
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Ava Hart
Ava Hart is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
