Shawn Hatosy Emmys Switch: From Guest to Supporting Actor in ‘The Pitt’

Shawn Hatosy, known for his role as Dr. Jack Abbott in the HBO Max medical drama “The Pitt,” surprised everyone this Emmy season by announcing that he will be submitting in the supporting drama actor category for Season 2. This decision comes even though he could have stayed in the running for the guest drama actor category, where he took home the award last year.

In Season 2, Hatosy appeared in six out of 15 episodes, making him a strong contender to win again in the guest drama actor category and potentially break a record that has stood for almost 50 years. No actor has ever won back-to-back guest drama actor Emmys for the same role. Only five actors have won this category multiple times, like Patrick McGoohan, Ed Asner, John Lithgow, Charles S. Dutton, and Ron Cephas Jones.

While switching categories might seem unusual, it’s actually quite common in Emmy history, with over 50 successful cases across all acting races. Recent examples include Alexander Skarsgård, Alexis Bledel, Bradley Whitford, Christian Clemenson, Giancarlo Esposito, Ben Mendelsohn, and Jimmy Smits, who all made transitions from guest to supporting categories for their outstanding performances on various shows.