The second night of the Creative Arts Emmys was held at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, 7 September 2025 (early hours of Monday, 8 September in SAST).
Kendrick Lamar honoured at the Creative Arts Emmys
Among the biggest stories of the evening was rapper Kendrick Lamar, who won the award for Outstanding Music Direction for his headline set at the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show.
This award is especially significant because it recognises the skill in arranging, composing, and performing music for live television.
Lamar’s halftime show was widely praised for blending creativity, cultural themes, and powerful performance, where he unashamedly performed ‘Not Like Us’, despite an ongoing lawsuit by his foe, Drake.
While Lamar made headlines, it was Saturday Night Live (SNL) and its 50th anniversary specials that led the night with 11 awards, including wins for lighting, sound mixing, technical direction, and writing.
The show has now extended its long history as the most Emmy-nominated variety series of all time.
Full list of winners on Night 2
Reality and Documentary
- Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program – Love on the Spectrum (Netflix)
- Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program – 100 Foot Wave (HBO Max)
- Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program – The Traitors (Peacock)
- Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program – Matt Wolf, Pee-wee As Himself (Peacock)
- Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series – 100 Foot Wave (HBO Max)
- Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special – Pee-wee As Himself (HBO Max)
- Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special – Conan O’Brien Must Go (HBO Max)
- Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program – Love on the Spectrum (Netflix)
- Outstanding Structured Reality Program – Queer Eye (Netflix)
Variety and Specials
- Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series – Jim Hoskinson, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
- Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special – Liz Patrick, SNL 50 (NBC)
- Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) – Conan O’Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (Netflix)
- Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special – The Oscars (ABC)
- Outstanding Production Design for a Variety or Reality Series – Saturday Night Live (NBC)
- Outstanding Lighting Design/Direction for a Series – Saturday Night Live (NBC)
- Outstanding Lighting Design/Direction for a Special – 67th Annual Grammy Awards (CBS)
- Outstanding Technical Direction/Camerawork for a Series – Saturday Night Live (NBC)
- Outstanding Technical Direction/Camerawork for a Special – SNL 50: The Anniversary Special (NBC)
- Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special – SNL 50: The Anniversary Special (NBC)
Music and Performance
- Outstanding Music Direction – Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show starring Kendrick Lamar (Fox)
- Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary (Original Dramatic Score) – Chef’s Table (Netflix)
- Outstanding Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming – 67th Grammy Awards (CBS)
Acting and Narration
- Outstanding Host for a Reality Program – Alan Cumming, The Traitors (Peacock)
- Outstanding Host for a Game Show – Jimmy Kimmel, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (ABC)
- Outstanding Narrator – Barack Obama, Our Oceans (Netflix)
Editing, Sound, and Makeup
- Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program – Pee-wee As Himself (HBO Max)
- Outstanding Picture Editing for a Structured Reality Program – The Traitors (Peacock)
- Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program – Welcome to Wrexham (FX)
- Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming – Cunk on Life (Netflix)
- Outstanding Sound Editing for Nonfiction or Reality Program – Music by John Williams (Disney)
- Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program – Beatles ’64 (Disney)
- Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Reality Program – Welcome to Wrexham (FX)
- Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special – SNL 50: The Anniversary Special (NBC)
- Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Program – SNL 50: The Anniversary Special (NBC)
- Outstanding Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Program – SNL 50: The Anniversary Special(NBC)
Special Awards and Emerging Media
- Outstanding Commercial – Brian Cox Goes to College, Uber One for Students
- Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama, or Variety Series – The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxplains (Comedy Central)
- Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series – Adolescence, The Making of Adolescence (Netflix)
- Outstanding Emerging Media Program – SNL 50: Immersive Experience (NBC)
- Outstanding Innovation in Emerging Media (Juried) – White Rabbit (Shibuya Film)
- Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking – Patrice: The Movie (Hulu)