Emmys surprise: 'The Pitt' star Shawn Hatosy switches to supporting category after guest win

Shawn Hatosy has delivered one of the biggest surprises of the Emmy season by switching categories for his role in The Pitt, opting to compete as a supporting actor for Season 2 after previously winning in the guest category.

Hatosy, who plays Dr Jack Abbott in the HBO Max medical drama, confirmed he will submit in the supporting drama actor race despite remaining eligible in the guest category, where he secured a win last year. The move comes even though he appeared in just six of the season’s 15 episodes, a number that would typically position him as a strong contender to repeat in the guest category.

His decision effectively ends a potential run at Emmy history. No performer has ever won back-to-back guest drama actor awards for the same role, and only a handful of actors, including Patrick McGoohan, Ed Asner, John Lithgow, Charles S Dutton and Ron Cephas Jones, have won the category more than once across different roles.

Category shifts, however, are not uncommon in Emmy history. In recent years, actors like Alexander Skarsgård transitioned from guest to supporting for Succession, while Alexis Bledel and Bradley Whitford made similar moves during their time on The Handmaid’s Tale. Other notable examples include Christian Clemenson, who won guest actor for Boston Legal before later earning a supporting nomination.

Despite these precedents, no actor has successfully converted a guest actor Emmy win into a supporting actor win for the same role. While performers like Whitford and Clemenson made the jump, neither ultimately secured a win in the supporting category for those roles.

Under updated Emmy rules introduced in January 2025, performers can move from guest to supporting categories. However, the decision carries long-term consequences: once an actor is nominated or wins in a supporting or lead category, they are no longer eligible to compete in the guest category for the same role in future years.

This means that if Hatosy earns a supporting nomination this year, he will permanently close the door on returning to the guest race for Dr Abbott.

His shift also reshapes the guest actor field for The Pitt, opening opportunities for other performers from the series, including Jeff Kober and Ernest Harden Jr, who could now emerge as contenders.

In addition to acting, Hatosy will also appear on the Emmy ballot as a director for the episode 3:00 PM, marking his directorial debut.

The Pitt had a major breakthrough during the previous awards season, winning five Emmys including Outstanding Drama Series, lead actor for Noah Wyle, supporting actress for Katherine LaNasa, as well as casting and Hatosy’s guest actor win. The show is widely seen as a strong contender again this year.

Emmy submissions are due on May 7, with nomination voting set to run from June 11 to June 22. Nominations for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced on July 8, setting the stage for what is shaping up to be a highly competitive race.