Howell’s Tom Pelphrey and Freehold Township’s Katie Dippold earned top television honors at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, which took place Monday, Sept. 14, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, and were hosted by Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay.
Pelphrey won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Robbie Prendergrast in HBO’s Task. The role brought him his first Primetime Emmy, following two Daytime Emmy wins for Guiding Light. During his acceptance speech, he thanked his fiancée, actress Kaley Cuoco, and their growing family. The couple has a daughter, Matilda, and is expecting their second child. Cuoco is best known for her role as Penny on TV’s The Big Bang Theory.
Dippold won Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for “Welcome to Widow’s Bay!,” the opening episode of the Apple TV series she created. The horror-comedy, starring Matthew Rhys, also won the Outstanding Comedy Series award.
Dippold has said the inspiration for Widow’s Bay came from her childhood visits to a Long Branch haunted house, which helped shape the show’s mix of comedy and terror, evoking family outings filled with laughter and screams. Freehold Township High School recognized Dippold’s career in 2018 by inducting her into its Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.
Both honorees are Rutgers University graduates. Pelphrey earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Mason Gross School of the Arts in 2004. Dippold graduated with a journalism degree in 2002 before building a comedy-writing career that includes Parks and Recreation and the screenplay for The Heat, starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.