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‘SNL50’ Leads Night 2 Of Creative Arts Emmys; ‘The Traitors’ And ‘Pee-Wee As Himself’ Standouts


SNL 50, which celebrated 50 years of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, took center stage on Night 2 of the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys, securing six awards. The honors spanned across categories like writing, hairstyling, editing, directing, production, and sound.

Coming in second overall was The Traitors, the reality competition series on Peacock, which took home four awards, including Alan Cumming for Best Reality Host.

Rounding out the top winners was the HBO documentary Pee-wee as Himself, which earned three awards. The documentary, celebrating the life and legacy of Pee-wee Herman creator Paul Reubens, received the honor of Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special. The win was especially poignant, as it recognized the late Paul Reubens as a coproducer of the special.

A Historic Win for Barack Obama

Also making headlines was former President Barack Obama, who claimed his third Best Narrator Emmy for his work on the Our Oceans documentary. Obama’s narration highlighted the importance of ocean conservation and the urgent need to address climate change.

Other Notable Winners

NBC’s Saturday Night Live earned recognition beyond its anniversary special, taking home three technical awards in areas like set design, lighting, and sound. The Academy Awards telecast, hosted by Conan O’Brien (who is confirmed to return in 2026) won for Outstanding Production Design and Choreography. And there were two trophies for Love on the Spectrum on Netflix: Best Unstructured Reality Program and Best Casting for a Reality Program.

In addition, the Television Academy presented the Governors Award to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Best Reality Host: Alan Cumming, The Traitors

Best Narrator: Barack Obama, Our Oceans

Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special: Pee-wee as Himself

Best Documentary or Nonfiction Series: 100 Foot Wave

Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking: Patrice: The Movie

Best Game Show: Jeopardy!

Best Game Show Host: Jimmy Kimmel, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

Best Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special: Conan O’Brien Must Go

Best Structured Reality Program: Queer Eye

Best Unstructured Reality Program: Love on the Spectrum

Best Casting for a Reality Program: Love on the Spectrum

Best Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming: The 67th Annual Grammy Awards

Best Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program: 100 Foot Wave

Best Cinematography for a Reality Program: The Traitors

Best Commercial: “Brian Cox Goes to College” — Uber One for Students

Best Directing for a Documentary/Non-Fiction Program: Pee-wee as Himself

Best Directing for a Reality Program: The Traitors

Best Directing for a Variety Series: The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Best Directing for a Variety Special: SNL50: The Anniversary Special

Best Emerging Media Program: SNL 50th The Anniversary Special: Immersive Experience

Best Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program: Pee-wee as Himself

Best Picture Editing for a Structured Reality or Competition Program: The Traitors

Best Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program: Welcome to Wrexham

Best Picture Editing for Variety Programming: Cunk on Life

Best Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Program: SNL50: The Anniversary Special

Best Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Special: The 67th Annual Grammy Awards

Best Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series: Saturday Night Live

Best Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program: SNL50: The Anniversary Special

Best Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score): Chef’s Table

Best Music Direction: The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar

Best Production Design for a Variety or Reality Series: Saturday Night Live

Best Production Design for a Variety Special: The Oscars

Best Variety Special (Pre-recorded): Conan O’Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

Best Short-Form Comedy, Drama, or Variety Series: The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains

Best Short-Form Nonfiction or Reality Series: Adolescence: The Making of Adolescence

Best Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program: Music by John Williams

Best Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program: Beatles ’64

Best Sound Mixing for a Reality Program: Welcome to Wrexham

Best Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special: SNL50: The Anniversary Special

Best Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Series: Saturday Night Live

Best Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Special: SNL50: The Anniversary Special

Best Writing for a Nonfiction Program: The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: MAGA: The Next Generation

Best Writing for a Variety Special: SNL50: The Anniversary Special

The 77th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air on September 14 at 8:00 ET on CBS. The ceremony will also be available for streaming on Paramount+.