“Veep” star Peter MacNicol, who was nominated last week for an Emmy Award for guest actor in a comedy, has been ruled ineligible and will no longer be competing in the category. 
 
 Per the Emmy rules that were instituted last year, “Only performers appearing in less than 50% of the eligible episodes are able to submit in the Guest Performer categories.” MacNicol, who played Jonah’s (Tim Simons) uncle Jeff Kane, appeared in five episodes of the ten-episode HBO comedy. 

 HBO now has one less Emmy nomination to its name. 
 
 The Television Academy on Wednesday announced it was disqualifying "Veep" actor Peter MacNicol from the Guest Actor in a Comedy category after realizing he appeared in one too many episodes. 
 
 Per the Academy's rules for this category, an actor must appear in less than half of a show's season. MacNicol was in five of 10 episodes in the most recent season of "Veep." 
 
 HBO said in a statement the information for this year's Emmy race was submitted before Season 5 of "Veep" had concluded. At the time, MacNicol, who plays Jeff Kane on the series, met the requirements for the category, but that changed when his character made a seconds-long appearance in an episode that aired after the submission deadline. 
 
 "The information we received from the production was that Peter MacNicol was eligible as a guest star," HBO said in a statement to CNN. "We are very sorry that Peter's brilliant performance will not be recognized." 
 
 The TV Academy said it plans to name a replacement nominee. (Update: On Thursday, "Girls" actor Peter Scolari was named the replacement nominee, bringing HBO's Emmy nomination total back to its original number.) 
 
 The rules for the guest actor and actress categories were overhauled in 2015 after the Television Academy was criticized for allowing actors who had season-long arcs to enter a race meant to recognize those with minor roles.
– Peter MacNicol's guest-starring role on Veep was apparently more "star" than "guest": The Television Academy announced Wednesday it was disqualifying his Emmy nomination for guest actor in a comedy series because he played Jeff Kane in one too many episodes for that category, CNNMoney reports. Emmy rules put into place last year note that only actors who've appeared in "less than 50% of the eligible episodes" can throw their hat in the ring for the guest performer categories, and MacNicol showed up in five out of the 10 episodes of the HBO series, Variety reports. He had only appeared in four episodes at the time his name was submitted, but he ended up showing up for just a few seconds in one more episode after the submission deadline had passed. "We are very sorry that Peter's brilliant performance will not be recognized," HBO says in a statement. (One show gained 23 nominations for the upcoming awards.)