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Capping a year of recognition, George Mason alum Rhea Seehorn, BA Art (Studio) ’94, received an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards Monday, September 15, in Los Angeles.

Seehorn won for her role as romantasy author Carol Sturka on the AppleTV series Pluribus, a post-apocalyptic show set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in which most of the world’s population has been assimilated into a hive mind. Carol and a handful of others have not, and she works to find a way to undo what the series calls the Joining. 

Seehorn is widely known for her acclaimed portrayal of Kim Wexler in AMC’s Better Call Saul, a role that earned her two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. After years of collaboration, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan wrote the role of Carol Sturka specifically for her.

This is her second award for the series, after taking home a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Drama in January—the first Golden Globe win by a George Mason alum. She also was named to the TIME100 list of the Most Influential People of 2026. 

In interviews about Pluribus, Seehorn has often pointed to her time at George Mason as the spark that ignited her passion for acting. On NPR’s , she recalled having to take an elective in the arts outside of her art studio major. She chose to take an acting class with theater professor Lynnie Raybuck.

Hers is believed to be the first Primetime Emmy win for a George Mason alum.