‘Subway Takes’ earns Emmy nomination as YouTube’s push (sorta) pays off

The show that uses MetroCards as microphones has earned a nomination at the 2026 Emmy Awards. Subway Takes, the YouTube-hosted series led by Kareem Rahma, will vie for a winged statuette in the category of Best Short Form Comedy, Drama, or Variety Series.

Since 2023, Rahma has put a unique spin on the man-on-the-street interview format by inviting his guests to unleash their hottest takes as they ride in a New York City subway car. Nearly 750 million YouTube views later, Subway Takes has become a pop culture touchstone that richly deserves the Emmy recognition it received.

Subway Takes was one of several creator-led shows that sought Emmy consideration amid a fervent push from YouTube itself. The platform threw its support behind some of its top stars while other YouTube hits, like Dropout, launched their own FYC campaigns.

Ultimately, all that hullabaloo resulted in a single Emmy nod. YouTube favorite Hot Ones fell short in the Outstanding Variety Series category, and neither Dropout’s Game Changer nor host Sam Reich were able to claim spots among the nominees.

If Kareem Rahma ever returns my calls, he’ll learn that this is my subway take: YouTube should stop chasing Emmys. FYC campaigns for creator-led shows date back a decade, when MCNs like Maker Studios were the ones doing the pushing. YouTube revived that strategy in the 2020s

, but year after year, the Television Academy makes it clear that it doesn’t see creator content as anything more than a curious afterthought.

Even with this year’s Subway Takes nomination, the TV Academy’s bias is still showing. Sure, I can understand why Hot Ones got snubbed in favor of heavy hitters like The Daily Show and  Last Week Tonight. But it doesn’t seem fair that Martin Short gets a nod for hosting a ho-hum Match Game retread while Sam Reich is shut out for steering an iconic internet game show with millions of ardent fans.

Even in the Short Form Variety Series category, where Subway Takes is recognized, other nominees include the usual assortment of unassuming late-night companions. The TV Academy is finally giving a YouTube-based show a seat at that table, and all Rahma had to do was throw legendary parties, score massive brand deals, and literally influence U.S. politics.

It’s nice to see Rahma get feted for all that hard work. At the same time, if he weren’t nominated for an Emmy, I have a feeling he’d respond to my subway take with a “100% agree.”