Television Academy announces 2026 Hall of Fame inductees. Seven notable individuals honored for outstanding contributions to TV. — The Television Academy has announced its 2026 inductees into the Hall of Fame.
Seven people will be immortalized in the Hall of Fame next month.
They were selected for making “outstanding contributions in the arts, sciences or management of television over a lifetime career or via singular achievements” whose names will be added to the more than 150 people already inducted since the Hall of Fame’s inception in 1984.
The following notable entertainers, journalists and executives make up the Class of 2026.
Ed Bradley was one of the first Black journalists to be nationally known. He spent almost his entire 39-year career with CBC News. Bradley will receive the honor posthumously. He died in 2006 at the age of 65 from complications of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Ted Danson has won Emmys and Golden Globes over his four-decade career, starting with his starring role as Sam Malone on Cheers and continuing through the Netflix comedy series “A Man on the Inside.” He is also an environmental activist and co-founded the American Oceans Campaign in 1987.
Sheila Nevins is a television producer and was at one point the president of HBO Documentary Films and the head of MTV Documentary Films. She produced more than 1,500 documentaries for HBO alone, including Spike Lee’s Hurricane Katrina. She was selected for a Governor’s Award in 2009.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone are the creators of “South Park,” which has received 18 Emmy nominations, with 5 wins, and is set to enter its 29th season after debuting in 1997. They also developed “The Book of Mormon,” which celebrates 15 years and is the 11th longest-running show in Broadway history. It won nine Tony Awards.
Ted Sarandos is the co-CEO of Netflix and is responsible for all of the content operations since 2000, including adding original content production in 2013, and spawning shows such as “House of Cards” and “Orange Is the New Black. ”
Jean Smart has won seven Emmy Awards and is one of only two people to have won them in comedy lead, supporting, and guest categories. She also has SAG-AFTRA and Golden Globe awards, as well as Tony Award nominations, among her numerous honors.
“Each of these seven honorees has made an extraordinary contribution to television through their creativity, leadership and dedication to the craft,” Rick Rosen, chair of the Hall of Fame Selection Committee, said in a news release. “Their work has left a lasting impact on the industry, and the Television Academy is honored to celebrate their achievements and the legacy they continue to build.”