2025 Emmys: Will Cherry Jones (‘The Handmaid’s Tale’) Break Emmy Record for Most Guest Actress in a Drama Wins?

With three wins over six career nominations, Cherry Jones has proven a formidable favorite at the Emmys. This year, with her latest nomination, returning to Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her powerful turn on The Handmaid’s Tale, Jones is on the verge of scoring yet another victory – and breaking an Emmy record in the process.

Following her first Emmy appearance in 2009, with a nomination and win in Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for 24, Jones has emerged a mainstay in Drama Guest Actress, with three bids for The Handmaid’s Tale and two for Succession, each program ultimately delivering her one win a piece.

With five career bids in this category, Jones has already made some Emmy history by tying Cicely Tyson’s record for most Drama Guest Actress nominations. Should Jones triumph, she’ll make even more history by emerging the first actress to secure three victories in this category.

Including Jones, there are presently six performers with a pair of Drama Guest Actress wins – Patricia Clarkson (twice a winner for Six Feet Under), Shirley Knight (for thirtysomething and NYPD Blue), Margo Martindale (twice for The Americans), Amanda Plummer (for The Outer Limits and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) and Alfre Woodard (for L.A. Law and The Practice).

Is Jones on the cusp of setting a new record? Let’s dive into this year’s plenty competitive race for Drama Guest Actress.

It’s a field of familiar faces, including four past Emmy winners – Jones, Severance’s Jane Alexander (previously a winner for Playing for Time and Warm Springs), The Last of Us’s Catherine O’Hara (a winner for SCTV and Schitt’s Creek) and Severance’s Merritt Wever (a winner for Nurse Jackie and Godless). Rounding out the category are a pair of past Emmy nominees, Severance’s Gwendoline Christie (previously nominated for Game of Thrones) and The Last of Us’s Kaitlyn Dever (nominated for Dopesick).

With a staggering 27 nominations this year, the most of any program, Severance could be in for a healthy showing in terms of wins, and that could extend to this category. Voters appear especially fond of the season finale, “Cold Harbor,” a nominee in both Drama Directing and Drama Writing, for which Christie is recognized. Wever also appears in that episode, as well as three other episodes from this season of Severance (her episode submission for voter consideration is “Who Is Alive?”). If screen time proves a factor, that may give Wever an edge over Christie, who appeared in two episodes, and Alexander, who surfaced in just one. Alexander certainly, however, cannot be counted out. Among the most lauded actresses of her generation, with four Oscar nominations and a Tony win (not to mention seven additional nominations) to go along with her two Emmy wins and five other Emmy nominations, Alexander has worked with innumerable folks in the industry and delivers an unforgettable performance in her episode.

If voters aren’t keen on Severance in terms of wins, which was the case for its first season (two victories on 14 nominations), that could benefit one of the nominees from The Last of Us, which scored in this category for Storm Reid in its first season. O’Hara has had a gangbusters year and enters the Emmys with not one but two nominations, the second arriving in Comedy Supporting Actress for The Studio. Her acclaim for both performances – turns which could not be more tonally different and serve as a testament to her incredible range – could put her over the top in either category.

Also plenty formidable is Dever, cited by many critics as an MVP of this season of The Last of Us. She has also had an exemplary year on the small screen, with stellar notices for her turn on Apple Cider Vinegar, and many voters will undoubtedly recall her brilliant recent work on Dopesick and Unbelievable.

Finally, there is Jones, the beloved favorite of Drama Guest Actress, returning to a role that earlier scored her this prize – as Holly Maddox, the iron-willed mother of June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss). Jones this year surfaced on three episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale, the most appearances she made on any of the program’s seasons and nominated this year for the second episode of the final season, “Exile.” Voters’ affection for this turn has already been proven through past recognition and Jones, a renowned veteran of the stage and screen, has enough Emmys and Tonys on her mantle to prove she should never be underestimated when it comes to awards contention.

If there’s a daunting hurdle Jones must overcome, it is the collapse of The Handmaid’s Tale at the Emmys, with the series receiving no other recognition this year. The last performer to take this prize as the lone nominee from her program? Woodard for The Practice in 2003.

Ultimately, while many pundits are predicting Dever to triumph, this feels like a category anyone could win. Alexander, Jones, O’Hara and Wever are such Emmy favorites that a victory for any of them should not come as the slightest surprise. And Christie, too, is very much in contention, especially if voters are more willing to award Severance with wins this time around.

No matter who triumphs, given the incredible work by all six of these nominees, we will be in for a top-notch Drama Guest Actress winner.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Andrew Carden

Andrew Carden is a contributing writer at Gold Derby and writes about all things Oscar on his blog, The Awards Connection. When he’s not on Twitter, lamenting Thelma Ritter’s 0-for-6 record in Best Supporting Actress, Andrew works in Massachusetts politics.

Latest posts by Andrew Carden (see all)

• 2025 Emmys: Will Cherry Jones (‘The Handmaid’s Tale’) Break Emmy Record for Most Guest Actress in a Drama Wins? - July 21, 2025
• 2025 Emmys: Martin Short (‘Only Murders in the Building’) Could Make History as Oldest Comedy Lead Actor Winner - July 16, 2025
• 2025 Tonys: Jonathan Groff (‘Just in Time’) Could Make Tony History with Back-to-Back Lead Actor in a Musical Wins - May 6, 2025