Mariska Hargitai and Christopher Meloni meet with their “Law and Order” co-stars at 2025 Emmy

Emmy in 2025 gave fans law and order: SVU Reunion!

Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Ice T, Tony Goldwyn, S. Epasa Mercerson met on stage at the 77th Annual Ceremony on Sunday, September 14th, and presented the Outstanding Drama Series Award. Friends and co-stars celebrated the 35-year franchise so it was fun for each other.

“We are your dream team of law and order, icons, veterans, survivors of so many rooftop chases,” Meloni, 64 began.

“And we have one clear mission tonight,” continued Mercerson, 72, to remind us that Goldwyn (Mariska Hargitaye solved more fictional crimes than most actual precincts.

“She has been at SVU for 27 years,” Mercerson pointed out. “That’s longer than people who are being treated for SVU!”

Goldwyn then called out to the character of Hagitai. “And don’t be fooled by compassion. Olivia Benson holds the victim and knocks everything out before lunch.”

“Important, it’s okay, it’s fine. Everyone will settle down, that’s enough,” said Hargitay, 61, “I love you all. I’ll do it seriously.

“Wait a second – isn’t this a roast of Mariska’s lifetime achievement?” Ice-T, 67, joked.

Early in the evening, Meloni took him to Instagram to share a selfie of him sitting in the audience with his law and order family.

Fans in the comments responded to the crew and expressed excitement to see Meloni, Harugitay and Iist return together.

“All Legends” wrote another.

Hargitay, 61, also posted a selfie on Instagram. I simply captioned “You’re welcome.”

This is not the first law and order mini-reunion at the Emmy Awards. Hargitay and Meloni were also presenters at the 2010 and 2022 ceremonies.

At the 74th Emmy Awards in 2022, the duo shared an unforgettable moment. At that time, they teased fans and leaned over a kiss just before announcing the candidate, but quickly pulled away. The move teased viewers who wanted to see the flowers of romance between the two characters in SVU.

The two also participate in Emmys for their own SVU performance. Hargitay was nominated eight times and won one time in 2006 with a standout lead actress in the drama series. Meloni was nominated in 2006 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

We first met the duo at an audition for Law & Order Audition: Special Actims Unit. Meloni left the series in 2011, but he later returned to the franchise with the spinoff series Law & Order: Organized Crime.

Over the decades, the two became best friends, reunited at SVU and organized organized crime for crossover episodes. Hargitey is even the godfather of Meloni’s daughter.

When she explained to Meloni the moment she met people, Hargitay said, “I said him, and I said, ‘That guy. That’s the guy.’ It got deeper and very fast.

She said, “I wouldn’t say I fully understood it, but I knew that meeting him was important and life-changing.”

For years, friends have been open about their bond and whether their characters will come together on screen. (In real life, Hergitay married Peter Hermann, and Meloni married Sherman Williams.)

In a 2021 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Meloni explained that no matter how long it went, “I just pick it up from where I left off.”

“It’s like we don’t have this relationship with other people…it’s unique, it’s full of laughs and she’s full of love,” he said of Harugitay. “Every time we see each other, we fall seamlessly into that place.”

Calling her dad in June 2025, host Alex Cooper asked Hargitay if her and Meloni characters “were done” and she gave the real answer. “Maybe in the last episode,” she said. “I think that’s what they should be together.”

Still, it requires the story to be “right” for the two of them to finally try it. “We’ll know when we get there,” she said.

Regarding her relationship with her co-star, Hargitay said she and Meloni were “soulmates.” She then said, “And I think so. I mean, Chris had a huge impact on my life, my artistry. I think we’ve had a huge impact on each other.”

You won’t miss the story. Sign up for people’s free daily newsletters and stay up to date with what people have to offer, from celebrity news to stories of fascinating human interests.

Watch the full coverage of people at the 77th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards as it airs live on CBS and Paramount+ at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.