Robby Hoffman transformed her Emmy disappointment into comedy gold. When she took the stage to present Outstanding Cinematography, she turned her raw emotion into a hilarious bit that 'brought the house down.' That's the mark of a true professional—feeling everything deeply and channeling it into art.
Sources say Hoffman was supremely confident walking into the ceremony. She and her sister were 'acting like we got the Emmy' beforehand, casually dismissing competitors including Olivia Colman and Zoë Kravitz as no competition. The category was absolutely stacked, making that pre-show confidence either brave or delusional.
At the September 2025 Creative Arts Emmys, Robby Hoffman lost Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series to fellow Hacks star Julianne Nicholson. The 36-year-old comedian still had to present the Outstanding Cinematography category immediately after her loss—something she called 'criminal.'
Hoffman's raw honesty about being a 'sore loser' is refreshing in an industry full of rehearsed graciousness—and that unscripted moment on stage might be the best thing that's happened to her career since the nomination itself.
Robby Hoffman couldn't take the heat after her Emmy loss. The Hacks writer and comedian revealed she dramatically exited the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys ceremony in September, just moments after losing the award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series to fellow Hacks guest star Julianne Nicholson. During an appearance on the June 23 episode of The Bald and the Beautiful podcast—hosted by Trixie Mattel—the 36-year-old confessed she was 'the biggest sore loser' at the ceremony.
'As you know, it's all rigged,' Hoffman joked. 'I was there with my sister. I lose immediately.' Her candid admission comes months after what sources describe as a tense evening behind the scenes at Los Angeles's Peacock Theater.
Mattel recalled running into Hoffman before the award show and noted that the Hacks star seemed unusually confident she would take home the trophy. That confidence, it turns out, was wildly misplaced. 'We were like, "Oh my god, who's even in the category?
It's not even close,"' Hoffman admitted about her pre-ceremony mindset. 'And meanwhile the category is literally Olivia Colman, Zoë Kravitz—it's insane. We're like, "It's a shoo-in."' The stacked field also included Jamie Lee Curtis (The Bear), Cynthia Erivo (Poker Face), and Nicholson herself, making Hoffman's pre-show certainty seem almost charmingly naive in hindsight.
What made the loss even harder to swallow was that Hoffman still had professional obligations immediately following the announcement. She was scheduled to present the category for Outstanding Cinematography—and being handed an Emmy to hand to someone else while processing her own defeat felt particularly cruel. 'They want you to hold an Emmy for somebody else that could've been yours,' she told Mattel.
'I'm giving somebody else an Emmy now. It's criminal.' But instead of delivering a generic congratulations, Hoffman turned the moment into comedy. 'I get out there and I go, "I lost, there's nothing to say, and it's criminal that they have me presenting contractually in such a state." And it just for some reason brought the house down.' Despite her bitterness in the moment, Hoffman was quick to credit Nicholson's win as deserved.
'Julianne Nicholson, who beyond deserves it, won, and if not for me, her for Hacks,' she said. The two share the acclaimed comedy series, which has earned multiple Emmy nominations over its run. Mattel noted she found Hoffman's emotional reaction 'actually refreshing' in an industry where polished graciousness is expected.
'You entered the room like your whole family was murdered,' Mattel observed. 'But you felt like you were in shock that you were actually upset about not winning.' Hoffman agreed, admitting she didn't think she cared about winning until she lost—and then the disappointment hit hard and fast. The comedian—who previously won a Daytime Emmy in 2019 as a writer for Odd Squad—has been open about her inability to 'deescalate' emotionally.
Her raw honesty on The Bald and the Beautiful podcast, combined with that unscripted stage moment at the Emmys, showcases exactly the kind of authentic comedic voice that's made Hacks such a critical darling. Whether this episode will help or hurt her future Emmy chances remains to be seen—but one thing's for certain: Robby Hoffman is not going to pretend losing didn't sting.
