The Emmys 2025 were expected to be a showcase for The White Lotus. The HBO hit went into the night with 23 nominations, tied with The Studio and only slightly behind Severance at 27. Instead, the series walked away empty-handed, marking one of the biggest shocks of the evening.
Fans and critics alike had predicted at least one acting win from its stacked ensemble, but Katherine LaNasa of The Pitt pulled off an upset in the supporting actress race, defeating Carrie Coon, Natasha Rothwell, Parker Posey, and Aimee Lou Wood, all considered heavy favorites.
The Emmys 2025 surprises didn’t stop there. Britt Lower claimed lead actress in drama for Severance, a category that many thought would belong to Kathy Bates for Matlock. Jeff Hiller beat Harrison Ford as a supporting comedy actor, while Noah Wyle scored his first Emmy in three decades for The Pitt.
Even Severance, which dominated the 2025 Emmy nominations, lost the top drama prize to HBO’s medical drama. In the end, The White Lotus was the night’s biggest Emmys 2025 snub story, overshadowed by unexpected wins that reshaped the Emmy landscape.
Emmys 2025: Breaking down every snub and surprise that doomed The White Lotus

The complete shutout of The White Lotus at the Emmys 2025 will likely be remembered as one of the ceremony’s defining storylines. Coming into the night, the HBO anthology had been pegged by industry press as a frontrunner, not just for acting but also for directing and writing. Instead, the cast found themselves outpaced at every turn by rivals that capitalized on momentum.
The Emmys 2025 supporting actress category delivered the first sign that things were not going to script. Katherine LaNasa’s performance in The Pitt resonated with voters in a way few predicted, leaving behind four nominees from The White Lotus. Normally, having such a dominant block of contenders works to a show’s advantage, but this time it appeared to split the vote.
The Emmys 2025 surprises carried over into other fields where The White Lotus had long been considered competitive. Jason Isaacs and Walton Goggins both entered the night with significant buzz in the supporting drama actor category, yet the award went instead to Tramell Tillman for Severance.
The directing race saw Philip Barantini triumph for Adolescence with its one-take approach, edging out Mike White, who had previously guided The White Lotus to Emmy success. Writing followed a similar path, as Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne’s Adolescence script picked up the trophy that many assumed would return to HBO.
Perhaps the biggest blow was the best drama category. With 23 nominations, The White Lotus seemed poised to at least contend for the top prize, but The Pitt closed the night with the upset, bolstered by Noah Wyle’s acting win and the show’s reputation as a sharp medical drama. That final result confirmed that The White Lotus had been completely boxed out.
Snubs on this scale are rare, especially for a series that had been so central to Emmy conversation since its premiere. The lack of wins doesn’t erase the cultural footprint The White Lotus has made, but it underlines how competitive this Emmy cycle turned out to be.
With The Pitt, Severance, and Adolescence all turning their nominations into hardware, HBO’s awards darling ended up as the night’s cautionary tale: critical acclaim and multiple nods don’t always guarantee a win when the field is crowded with shows making just as much noise.
Every The White Lotus snub at the Emmys 2025

- Outstanding Drama Series — The White Lotus — lost
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series — Walton Goggins — lost
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series — Sam Rockwell — lost
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series — Jason Isaacs — lost
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — Parker Posey — lost
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — Carrie Coon — lost
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — Aimee Lou Wood — lost
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — Natasha Rothwell — lost
- Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series — Scott Glenn — lost
- Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series — Mike White — lost
- Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series — Mike White — lost
- Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series — The White Lotus — lost
- Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More) — The White Lotus — lost
- Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (One Hour) — The White Lotus — lost
- Outstanding Contemporary Costumes — The White Lotus — lost
- Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling — The White Lotus — lost
- Outstanding Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) — The White Lotus — lost
- Outstanding Main Title Design — The White Lotus — lost
- Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music — The White Lotus — lost
- Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) — The White Lotus — lost
- Outstanding Music Supervision — The White Lotus — lost
- Outstanding Picture Editing for a Drama Series (Single-Camera) — The White Lotus — lost
- Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) — The White Lotus — lost
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