Ernest Harden Jr. is an Emmy winner.
The veteran actor took home the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys for his performance in “7:00 A.M.,” an episode of HBO Max’s medical drama The Pitt. It marks his first career Emmy nomination and win, capping off a career that stretches back to the 1970s.
On The Pitt, Harden played Louie Cloverfield, a chronic alcoholic and beloved “frequent flyer” patient in the show’s emergency room, known for his warmth and stubborn optimism. He appeared in 11 episodes across the show’s first two seasons before his character died in the Season 2 episode “12:00 P.M.” from a massive pulmonary hemorrhage brought on by end-stage liver failure. The show later revealed that Louie’s decades-long spiral into alcoholism traced back to the death of his pregnant wife in a car crash.
Harden Jr. built a long résumé in television and film before landing on The Pitt. He’s best known for playing Marcus Henderson on the classic sitcom The Jeffersons, with additional credits including Hill Street Blues, Good Times, ER, The Young and the Restless and The Bernie Mac Show, along with film roles in Three Days of the Condor, Born in East L.A., Hollywood Homicide and Sweetwater.
The win adds to a massive Emmy showing for The Pitt, which led all programs this awards season with 25 total nominations, edging out Hacks (24), Widow’s Bay (19) and Pluribus (18) to become the most-nominated show of the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards cycle.
The Creative Arts Emmys were handed out over two nights at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with Night 1 covering documentaries, reality, game shows, variety specials and short-form programming, and Night 2 focused on guest acting, limited series supporting categories and writing for a limited series. Both nights will be edited into a broadcast airing September 12 on FXX, ahead of the televised Primetime Emmys on September 14 on NBC and Peacock.
Below is the full list of winners from both nights.
Night 1 Winners
Variety Special (Live) The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny (NBC)
Variety Special (Pre-recorded) The Muppet Show (Disney+)
Directing for a Variety Special Hamish Hamilton, The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Directing for a Variety Series Yvonne De Mare, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Special The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Series The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Lighting Design/Direction for a Series The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Lighting Design/Direction for a Special The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Structured Reality Program Antiques Roadshow (PBS)
Unstructured Reality Program Love On The Spectrum (Netflix)
Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program Alan Cumming, The Traitors
Narrator Octavia Spencer, Lost Women of Alaska (Investigation Discovery)
Directing for a Reality Program Ben Archard, The Traitors
Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program Mariska Hargitay, My Mom Jayne
Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special Tucci In Italy (National Geographic)
Documentary or Nonfiction Series Mr. Scorsese (Apple TV)
Documentary or Nonfiction Special My Mom Jayne: A Film By Mariska Hargitay (HBO Max)
Picture Editing, Structured Reality/Competition Program The Traitors
Picture Editing, Unstructured Reality Program Love On The Spectrum
Performer in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series Desi Lydic, The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains
Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program Sean Combs: The Reckoning
Picture Editing for Variety Programming (Segment) The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Picture Editing for Variety Programming The Muppet Show
Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program Ocean With David Attenborough (National Geographic)
Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program Billy Joel: And So It Goes (HBO Max)
Sound Mixing for a Reality Program Welcome To Wrexham
Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Writing for a Nonfiction Program The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers The Pulse
Writing for a Variety Series The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Writing for a Variety Special The Muppet Show
Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program Saturday Night Live
Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program RuPaul’s Drag Race
Commercial “I’m Not Remarkable” – Apple
Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series Colbert Before Air (YouTube)
Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series Inside The Pitt (HBO Max)
Cinematography for a Reality Program The Traitors
Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program Ocean With David Attenborough
Casting for a Reality Program Love On The Spectrum
Emerging Media Program Uncanny Alley: A New Day (VR Chat)
Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Music Direction Miguel Gandelman, The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Music Composition, Documentary/Nonfiction or Reality (Original Dramatic Score) John Candy: I Like Me (Prime Video)
Production Design for a Variety Special The Muppet Show
Production Design for a Variety or Reality Series The Traitors
Game Show Jeopardy!
Host for a Game Show Jimmy Kimmel, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
Costumes for Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Programming The Masked Singer and The Traitors (tie)
Innovation in Emerging Media Programming Crafting Crimes (Meta Quest)
Night 2 Winners
Stunt Coordination for Comedy Programming Spider-Noir (MGM+/Prime Video)
Stunt Performance A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms (HBO Max)
Stunt Coordination for Drama Programming The Boys (Prime Video)
Choreography for Scripted Programming Palm Royale (Apple TV)
Guest Actor in a Drama Series Ernest Harden Jr., The Pitt
Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) Margo’s Got Money Troubles (Apple TV)
Production Design, Narrative Period or Fantasy (One Hour or More) Palm Royale
Prosthetic Makeup The Pitt
Production Design, Narrative Period or Fantasy (One Hour or More) Fallout (Prime Video)
Production Design, Narrative Program (Half-Hour) Widow’s Bay (Apple TV)
Contemporary Costumes, Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Beef (Netflix)
Contemporary Costumes for a Series Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Period Costumes Palm Royale
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes Fallout
Guest Actress in a Drama Series Shailene Woodley, Paradise
Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Hairstyling Bridgerton (Netflix)
Contemporary Hairstyling Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Casting for a Drama Series The Pitt
Casting for a Comedy Series Widow’s Bay
Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette (FX/Hulu)