Body language expert breaks down Allison Janney's shock win at Emmy's with slightly 'off' reaction
A body language expert has questioned Allison Janney's reaction to her Emmy win last night (September 14).
Janney beat Julianne Nicholson, Karolina Wydra, and The Pitt stars Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif, Katherine LaNasa, and Sepideh Moafi to take home the award.
She won it for her portrayal of Grace Penn in The Diplomat, which was up for numerous other awards last night as well.
Janney appeared to be genuinely shocked when Alan Cumming and called out her name on stage – but body language expert Inbaal Honigman has her suspicions.
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Speaking on behalf of Casino.org, Honingman said: "Allison Janney’s extreme shock reaction to her win has all the hallmarks of genuine surprise, but was she really that shocked?
"When she hears her name, Janney jumps in her seat, her mouth turns into an ‘O’ shape and her hands fly to her cheeks.
"It is a display of disbelief which appears authentic, as if Janney cannot begin to believe that she had beaten so many talented ladies to win the Emmy herself – but the timing is a tiny bit off."
She continued: "Janney’s reaction begins when Alan Cumming’s voice is heard saying ‘Allison’, but not quite having started to pronounce her surname.
"If Janney had not expected to win, she may have waited until her name was uttered in its entirety, before committing to such a theatrical show of surprise."
However, Emmy viewers think that Janney's reaction was legit and were quick to applaud the 66-year-old for her huge achievement.
One person said on Facebook: "Love Love Love Her! Congratulations!"
"She was genuinely surprised, I really liked all the nominees tbh," added a second. A third person went on: "I just love her!"
"She rocked that show," a The Diplomat viewer continued.
Elsewhere at last night's Emmys, people were brought to tears when Macauley Culkin paid a moving tribute to his late on-screen mom, Catherine O'Hara.
"We remember her as the forgetful mother, right? But I will never forget about her," the Home Alone actor shared.
"There are all kinds of words I could use to describe Catherine. She was encouraging, she was warm, she was funny. But the word I think of is 'mama'.
"She wasn’t just a wife and mother to Bo and Matthew and Luke, she was my mom. And by extension, she’s all of our mama. By the way, call your mother tonight. For real. Give it up for the moms."
Culkin's moving message went on: "Like a good mom, she always showed up when I asked her to. Because that was Catherine.
"That’s what she did. She showed up, and this is the best that we can do for her tonight. We’re showing up for her. She may have forgotten me — twice — but we will always remember her."
The likes of Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, Rob Reiner, and Robert Duvall were also paid tribute to at the 2026 Emmys.
Topics: Emmy Awards, Entertainment, Celebrity, News
Niamh Shackleton