We will update this article throughout the season, along with all our predictions, so make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2025 Emmys race. The nomination round of voting takes place from June 12 to June 23, with the official Emmy nominations announced Tuesday, July 15. Afterwards, final voting commences on August 18 and ends the night of August 27. The 77th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are set to take place on Sunday, September 14, and air live on CBS at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT.
The State of the Race
Unlike their male counterparts, things have not been so routine for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series contenders. For example, “The Bear” star Ayo Edebiri, “Abbott Elementary” star Quinta Brunson, and “Hacks” star Jean Smart have all won an Emmy for their performances in the past two years, with the latter pair winning for this category (Edebiri won the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy for Season 1.)
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The trio are staples of award season at this point, so there is a strong chance all three will be nominated. However, Edebiri is the most vulnerable, as her move to the Lead Actress category has so far served her castmates more than her.
Where things get dicey is that just about every other candidate has a long history with the Emmys. Selena Gomez was nominated in this category for the first time last year, when the number of nominations was expanded to six to make it equitable with the Lead Actor category (which had a tie.) But it is hard to see that happening again when even someone like “Poker Face” creator/star Natasha Lyonne was nominated over her two years ago, when the first season of the Peacock show was in the race.
What it really comes down to is which Netflix stars are getting in, especially since the streaming service can campaign even harder than either of those shows. “The Four Seasons” star Tina Fey and “The Residence” star Uzo Aduba have both proven to be Emmys favorites, having won multiple times and multiple categories.
But it does feel like voters are conscious of some of the big stars that have not won yet. Analogous to how Apple TV+ played things last year, “Nobody Wants This” star Kristen Bell is in a similar position as “Palm Royale” star Kristen Wiig was last year, making the cut as the lead of her streaming service’s top Outstanding Comedy Series contender. Meanwhile, “Running Point” star Kate Hudson is in a position similar to “Loot” star Maya Rudolph, where her show is more populist than it is prestigious, but she has been so present on the campaign trail that voters seem more ready to give her some credit. The nomination would be Hudson’s very first Emmy nomination for her first time as a series regular on television.
All this said, watch out for Kathryn Hahn in “Agatha All Along.” The actress already received an Emmy nomination for playing Agatha Harkness in “WandaVision,” and triumphed over incredibly stiff competition for an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series nomination for “Tiny Beautiful Things” in 2023, so she is very much on voters’ radars. But the TV Academy is much better at recognizing Disney+ series themselves than they are nominating any lead or supporting performances for them.
Predicted Nominees:
Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This” (Netflix)
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear” (FX)
Kate Hudson, “Running Point” (Netflix)
Jean Smart, “Hacks” (Max)
Contenders:
Uzo Aduba, “The Residence” (Netflix)
Kathryn Hahn, “Agatha All Along” (Disney+)
Natasha Lyonne, “Poker Face” (Peacock)
In a Perfect World:
Laverne Cox, “Clean Slate” (Prime Video)
Bridget Everett, “Somebody Somewhere” (HBO)
Margo Martindale, “The Sticky” (Prime Video)
More Comedy Category Predictions:
Outstanding Comedy Series
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
View IndieWire’s full set of predictions for the 77th Emmy Awards.
Last Year’s Winner: Jean Smart, “Hacks”
Still Eligible: Yes.
Hot Streak: While a fourth Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series wouldn’t break any major awards records, it would set up “Hacks” star Jean Smart to be in the same league as TV comedy legends Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Candice Bergen, and Mary Tyler Moore.
Notable Ineligible Series: Maya Rudolph, “Loot” (Season 3 is not eligible); Kristen Wiig, “Palm Royale” (Season 2 is not eligible).
