Saturday Night Live cast member Marcello Hernández will host the 2026 ESPYs, the annual awards show honoring excellence in sports. The event will take place in New York City and will air live from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on Wednesday, July 15, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on ABC. It will also stream on ESPN+ through the ESPN App in sync with ABC broadcasts across time zones, and will be available the following day on Hulu, the ESPN App and ABC Video on Demand.
Hernández said the hosting opportunity is especially meaningful because of his early days pursuing comedy. He noted that he began doing comedy 10 years ago in Cleveland, Ohio, and used to take a 12-hour train ride to New York City to sell comedy tickets in Greenwich Village in exchange for stage time. He described hosting the ESPYs in New York as an honor and said he expects the atmosphere to be energetic.
ESPN executive producer Craig Lazarus praised Hernández as a rising comedian with strong sports enthusiasm and a personal connection to New York City. Lazarus said those qualities make Hernández a natural choice for this year’s ceremony, adding that the network is excited for the perspective he will bring to the show as it celebrates the biggest moments in sports.
Hernández’s selection comes after the release of his first comedy special, Marcello Hernández: American Boy, which premiered in January and became a Top 10 global hit on Netflix. In 2025, Time also named him one of the year’s Latino Leaders, reflecting his growing profile in entertainment.
The ESPYs have previously been hosted by a range of major entertainers and athletes, including Jimmy Kimmel, John Cena, LeBron James, Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson, Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams, Shane Gillis, Stephen Curry, Sue Bird and Tracy Morgan. This year’s show will continue that tradition while returning to New York for a live broadcast from one of the city’s landmark venues.
The 2026 ESPYs are being co-produced by ESPN, Full Day Productions, the live production arm of Words + Pictures, and Fanatics Studios, a Fanatics and OBB company. Executive producers for Full Day include Connor Schell, Dave Chamberlin and Jennifer Aiello, while Michael D. Ratner, Kfir Goldberg and Camille Maratchi are executive producing for Fanatics Studios.
