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Mariska Hargitay is hosting the 78th Emmy Awards, and she had her entire family on the red carpet with her ahead of the 2026 ceremony. Hargitay, dressed in a red sequin gown that matched her daughter’s, sweetly held hands with her children as they all made their way into the Peacock Theater.
The mom-of-three had already won big ahead of the televised ceremony. She nabbed two Emmys for directing and producing My Mom Jayne, a biopic about her late mother, Jayne Mansfield. Since the movie came out, the Law & Order: SVU star has received unwavering support from her family, who posed with her on the red carpets at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and 2026 Tribeca Film Festival.
As she emcees the Emmys ceremony, Hargitay’s husband, Peter Hermann, and their three kids will be in the audience cheering her on. The 62-year-old actress has spoken often about being a parent. “The thing that’s made me a better parent is my kids,” Hargitay told People in 2018. “Because they taught me to really listen. My husband is my North Star, and my kids are my teachers.” Get all the facts about August, Amaya, and Andrew Hermann below.
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August Hermann
Almost two years after marrying Hermann, whom Hargitay met on the set of Law & Order: SVU, they welcomed their first child together. August was born on June 28, 2006, when the actress was 42. A few months later, Hargitay won her first Emmy.
Now 20 years old, August has been spotted visiting the Law & Order: SVU set in New York City as recently as Season 27. He’s been photographed with his mother at various outings, from red carpets to New York Knicks games to the US Open.
Other than that, not much is known about August, though he’s currently studying at Princeton, per his private Instagram account’s bio.
At the Tribeca Festival premiere of My Mom Jayne, August honored his late grandmother by wearing her signature, which was stitched into the lapel of his suit. Hargitay told TODAY.com that she “just started weeping” when she saw the tribute. “My son was so proud to wear it. It was really extraordinary.” She also remarked how much August looks like her mother. “August looks exactly like her,” she said.
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Amaya Hermann
After August was born, Hargitay and Hermann adopted Amaya in 2011. “I’m deliriously happy,” Hargitay told People. “From the minute she was born, she was just surprisingly alert and so full of love.”
Of her decision to adopt, Hargitay said,“Having lost my mom at a young age, I then grew up with my stepmom, and I have half-siblings, and so I know that families can be built in all sorts of different ways, that there isn’t just one way to create a family and that it isn’t just about biology.”
Hargitay and Hermann were present for Amaya’s birth, per Good Housekeeping. “I basically pulled Amaya out. Peter and I held her, and then the birth mother and I hugged for a long time. That was profound,” the actress said. “That was one of the most meaningful moments I’ve ever had in my life.”
Like her brother, Amaya is often at her mother’s side at public events. For one, Hargitay and her daughter attended Hamilton on Broadway when Leslie Odom Jr. returned to the production in September 2025. In 2023, Hargitay and Amaya attended the premiere of Taylor Swift’s concert film.
Andrew Hermann
About six months after Amaya joined the family, Hargitay and Hermann were told that Andrew had been matched with them. “We never in a million years thought it would happen this quickly, but something inside of us knew that this was right, and we said, ‘Yes, yes, yes!’” Hargitay told People. “We knew this was our guy. It felt divinely right.”
Andrew has also appeared at events with his family, and he’s been the subject of a few anecdotes from Hargitay. “And then my son, who loves anime now, found out that I was in this movie [Tales From Earthsea],” the actress told People in 2024. “He just thought it was the coolest thing.”
Their family is unconventional, but “perfect” for Hargitay. “Together we’re just this whole, happy, joyful, chaotic, crazy unit. I’ve never known anything that was more right,” she mused.