Keri Russell on why Matthew Rhys left her out of the Emmys speech

Keri Russell has shed some light on why her long-term partner Matthew Rhys she did not mention her in his acceptance speech for the 2026 Emmy Awards.

“I was looking at it like a few days ago, and I said, ‘Okay, well, can you tell what’s more worrying about it?’ ” Russell, 50 years old, appeared on the Thursday, October 8, episode of the “Dear Chelsea” podcast. “And he’s like, ‘Yeah, I have to talk.’ And I said, ‘Absolutely.’ And I said, ‘Take your plate from me. Like, you don’t have to thank me. I know you love me.”

Rhys, 51, made history at the 2026 Emmys when he became the first person to win Lead Actor Awards in all three main categories – comedy, drama and limited series. (Famous actor Barbara Stanwyck previously achieved the same record at the Emmys.)

The Welsh star won the Outstanding Lead Actor award for his drama series The Americans back in 2018. At the 2026 Emmys, he took home the same awards for comedy Widow’s Bay and limited series The Beast in me on the same night.

Rhys seemed overwhelmed as he accepted the Emmy for Widow’s Bayalthough he remembered to thank several colleagues, his parents, his sister and his own country.

“For the good and great people of Wales, who were as nurturing as anyone else, we are a small but powerful country. This is unbelievable,” he said in his speech.

Some viewers later criticized Rhys for not mentioning or thanking Russell while standing on stage at the Peacock Theatre.

“I didn’t really prepare anything, and that’s why I gave that speech,” he said. AND! News backstage at the gala.

While he is talking to Chelsea handler on her latest podcast, Russell confirmed that she asked Rhys to leave her out of his speech so he could thank his colleagues.

“People are still giving him a hard time because he didn’t say his name [when he won for The Americans]” Russell revealed. “So, it’s so crazy. People get nuts. It’s stupid and it’s lame too.”

She said, “We said to each other, we don’t have to thank each other. … We’d like to go back to your thing, this is for business people. Like, thank whoever you want to thank.”

Russell was also nominated at this year’s Emmys in the Lead Actor in a Drama Series category for her performance on The Diplomaalthough she lost in the end For many‘ Rhea Seehorn.

Rhys and Russell teamed up while playing Soviet sleeper agents on the hit political thriller The Americans – but this was not the first time they crossed paths.

On 2023 Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen episode, Rhys revealed that he got Russell’s number at a kickball party hosted by Jennifer Gray more than 20 years ago.

“She gave it to me, and this is where it all falls apart. I don’t remember this because I was very uncertain, but I left a very uncertain message on her answering machine,” he said.

Russell married her now ex-husband Shane Darrywith whom she shares her 19-year-old son River and 13-year-old daughter Willa Lou. (Russell and Deary separated in 2013 and finalized their divorce the following year.)

Per Rhys, he and Russell managed to hide their romance on the set of The Americans for “about a solid year” before employees realized they were leaving together.

“It’s those stupid PAs that get him,” he joked. “They have headphones on. It was like, ‘They’re both in the trailer.’ I’m like, ‘Shut up!'”

Russell and Rhys later welcomed son Sam in May 2016.