Emmy nominations for multiple series: Comedy Guest Actress
In 2023 – 16 years after her first Emmy nomination for Best Comedy Guest Actress for “Ugly Betty” – Judith Light received this honor for her work in an episode of “Poker Face.” Her challengers included Becky Ann Baker (“Ted Lasso”), who, as a former contestant on “Girls,” joins her in the multi-series contenders club in that category. Scroll through our photo gallery to find out who else is part of this special group.
Including Light, 12 of the 26 actresses on this list won in at least one of their performances. The three who won for two shows each are Tracey Ullman (“Love and War”; “Ally McBeal”), Cloris Leachman (“The Mary Tyler Moore Show”; “Malcolm in the Middle”) and Betty White (“The John Larroquette Show”; “Saturday Night Live”).
Although the award for Best Guest Actress in a Comedy has only been given annually since 1993, qualified applicants from previous years (as early as 1975) are also considered here. The respective program, which is represented by the photo of the respective actress, is highlighted in italics.
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Nancy Walker
Photo credit: CBS
“Rhoda” (1977)
“Golden Girls” (1987)Results:
1977 – lost to Olivia Cole, “Roots”
1987 – lost to John Cleese, “Cheers” -
Eileen Heckart
Photo credit: CBS
“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1976-1977)
“The Cosby Show” (1988)
“Love and War” (1994)Results:
1976 – lost to Fionnula Flanagan, “Rich Man, Poor Man”
1977 – lost to Olivia Cole, “Roots”
1988 – lost to Beah Richards, “Frank’s Place”
1994 – won -
Shelley Long
Photo credit: NBC
“Cheers” (1993)
“Frasier” (1996)Results:
1993 – lost to Tracey Ullman, “Love & War”
1996 – lost to Betty White, “The John Larroquette Show” -
Carol Burnett
Photo credit: HBO
“The Larry Sanders Show” (1993)
“Crazy About You” (1997-1998)Results:
1993 – lost to Tracey Ullman, “Love & War”
1997 – won
1998 – lost to Emma Thompson, “Ellen” -
Betty White
Photo credit: NBC
“The John Larroquette Show” (1996)
“Suddenly Susan” (1997)
“Yes, Darling” (2003)
“My Name is Earl” (2009)
“Saturday Night Live” (2010)Results:
1996; 2010 – won
1997 – lost to Carol Burnett, “Mad About You”
2003 – lost to Christina Applegate, “Friends”
2009 – lost to Tina Fey, “Saturday Night Live” -
Tracey Ullman
Photo credit: CBS
“Love and War” (1993)
“Ally McBeal” (1999)Results:
1993; 1999 – won -
Cloris Leachman
Photo credit: Fox
“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1975)
“Malcolm in the Middle” (2001-2006)
“Awakening of Hope” (2011)Results:
1975; 2002; 2006 – won
2001 – lost to Jean Smart, “Frasier”
2003 – lost to Christina Applegate, “Friends”
2004 – lost to Laura Linney, “Frasier”
2005 – lost to Kathryn Joosten, “Desperate Housewives”
2011 – lost to Gwyneth Paltrow, “Glee” -
Susan Sarandon
Photo credit: NBC
“Friends” (2001)
“Malcolm in the Middle” (2002)Results:
2001 – lost to Jean Smart, “Frasier”
2002 – lost to Cloris Leachman, “Malcolm in the Middle” -
Frances Sternhagen
Photo credit: HBO
“Cheers” (1991)
“Sex and the City” (2002)Results:
1991 – lost to Colleen Dewhurst, “Murphy Brown”
2002 – lost to Cloris Leachman, “Malcolm in the Middle” -
Eileen Brennan
Photo credit: NBC
“Newhart” (1989)
“Will & Grace” (2004)Results:
1989 – lost to Colleen Dewhurst, “Murphy Brown”
2004 – lost to Laura Linney, “Frasier” -
Laurie Metcalf
Photo credit: CBS
“Behind the moon, immediately to the left” (1999)
“Monk” (2006)
“Desperate Housewives” (2007)
“The Big Bang Theory” (2016)
“Hacks” (2022)Results:
1999 – lost to Tracey Ullman, “Ally McBeal”
2006 – lost to Cloris Leachman, “Malcolm in the Middle”
2007 – lost to Elaine Stritch, “30 Rock”
2016 – lost to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, “Saturday Night Live”
2022 – won -
Christine Baranski
Photo credit: CBS
“Frasier” (1999)
“The Big Bang Theory” (2009–2010; 2015–2016)Results:
1999 – lost to Tracey Ullman, “Ally McBeal”
2009 – lost to Tina Fey, “Saturday Night Live”
2010 – lost to Betty White, “Saturday Night Live”
2015 – lost to Joan Cusack, “Shameless”
2016 – lost to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, “Saturday Night Live” -
Kathy Bates
Photo credit: CBS
“Behind the moon, immediately to the left” (1999)
“Two and a Half Men” (2012)Results:
1999 – lost to Tracey Ullman, “Ally McBeal”
2012 – won -
Elizabeth Banks
Photo credit: Ali Goldstein/NBC
“30 Rock” (2011-2012)
“Modern Family” (2015)Results:
2011 – lost to Gwyneth Paltrow, “Glee”
2012 – lost to Kathy Bates, “Two and a Half Men”
2015 – lost to Joan Cusack, “Shameless” -
Tina Fey
Photo credit: NBC
“Saturday Night Live” (2009–2011; 2014; 2016; 2018)
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (2015)Results:
2009; 2016 – won
2010 – lost to Betty White, “Saturday Night Live”
2011 – lost to Gwyneth Paltrow, “Glee”
2014 – lost to Uzo Aduba, “Orange is the New Black”
2015 – lost to Joan Cusack, “Shameless”
2018 – lost to Tiffany Haddish, “Saturday Night Live” -
Carrie Fisher
Photo credit: Channel 4
“30 Rock” (2008)
“Catastrophe” (2017)Results:
2008 – lost to Kathryn Joosten, “Desperate Housewives”
2017 – lost to Melissa McCarthy, “Saturday Night Live” -
Jane Lynch
Photo credit: Prime Video
“Two and a Half Men” (2010)
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (2018-2019)
“Only Murders in the Building” (2022)Results:
2010 – lost to Betty White, “Saturday Night Live”
2018 – lost to Tiffany Haddish, “Saturday Night Live”
2019 – won
2022 – lost to Laurie Metcalf, “Hacks” -
Maya Rudolph
Photo credit: NBC
“Saturday Night Live” (2012; 2020–2021)
“The Good Place” (2018–2020)Results:
2012 – lost to Kathy Bates, “Two and a Half Men”
2018 – lost to Tiffany Haddish, “Saturday Night Live”
2019 – lost to Jane Lynch, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
2020 – won for “Saturday Night Live”
2021 – won -
Molly Shannon
Photo credit: Lacey Terrell/HBO
“Enlightened” (2013)
“Will & Grace” (2018)Results:
2013 – lost to Melissa Leo, “Louie”
2018 – lost to Tiffany Haddish, “Saturday Night Live” -
Emma Thompson
Photo credit: NBC
“Ellen” (1998)
“Saturday Night Live” (2019)Results:
1998 – won
2019 – lost to Jane Lynch, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” -
Angela Bassett
Photo credit: HBO
“Master of None” (2017)
“A Sketch Show for Black Women” (2020)Results:
2017 – lost to Melissa McCarthy, “Saturday Night Live”
2020 – lost to Maya Rudolph, “Saturday Night Live” -
Bette Midler
Photo credit: Nicole Rivelli/Netflix
“Murphy Brown” (1998)
“The Politician” (2020)Results:
1998 – lost to Emma Thompson, “Ellen”
2020 – lost to Maya Rudolph, “Saturday Night Live” -
Wanda Sykes
Photo credit: Prime Video
“Black-ish” (2017-2018)
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (2020)Results:
2017 – lost to Melissa McCarthy, “Saturday Night Live”
2018 – lost to Tiffany Haddish, “Saturday Night Live”
2020 – lost to Maya Rudolph, “Saturday Night Live” -
Bernadette Peters
Photo credit: Fox
“Ally McBeal” (2001)
“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” (2021)Results:
2001 – lost to Jean Smart, “Frasier”
2021 – lost to Maya Rudolph, “Saturday Night Live” -
Becky Ann Baker
Photo credit: HBO
“Girls” (2017)
“Ted Lasso” (2023)Results:
2017 – lost to Melissa McCarthy, “Saturday Night Live”
2023 – lost to Judith Light, “Poker Face” -
Judith Light
Photo credit: Peacock
“Ugly Betty” (2007)
“Poker Face” (2023)Results:
2007 – lost to Elaine Stritch, “30 Rock”
2023 – won
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