Connor Storrie, a star of the hockey romance series Heated Rivalry, has earned his first Emmy nomination for hosting NBC's Saturday Night Live. The recognition is notable because Heated Rivalry itself is ineligible for the Emmys, meaning Storrie's nomination came through his guest hosting appearance rather than his breakout dramatic role.

The nomination caps a rapid rise for Storrie, who just 15 months earlier was waiting tables in Los Angeles while seeking his acting break. He was cast opposite Hudson Williams in Heated Rivalry, a Crave/HBO Max series that became a pop culture phenomenon after its November–December run, and the show's success led to his SNL hosting slot in February. Drawing on his improv training at the Groundlings, Storrie committed fully to sketches ranging from a Victorian man to a stripper hit by a car, and he called the experience a "pinch me" moment. Heated Rivalry is barred from the domestic Emmys because it fails the foreign production eligibility criteria — it is produced by a Canadian company for Crave and distributed by Bell Media with no US ownership — though it can compete at the International Emmys and has already broken Canadian Screen Awards records with 16 wins, including Best Drama Series and Best Lead Performer for Williams.