Linda Cardellini won her first Emmy Award on Sunday, September 6, 2026, taking home the trophy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her role as Carol Love-Smernitch in HBO’s dark comedy DTF St. Louis.
The victory marks a major milestone for the actress, who secured the win during night two of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Cardellini joined her onscreen husband and co-star David Harbour in winning her first Emmy Award, completing a successful evening for the HBO series.
DTF St. Louis follows a love triangle between three adults (Harbour, Cardellini, Bateman) experiencing middle-age malaise that leads to one of them ending up dead. Harbour was one of three DTF St. Louis nominees for Supporting Actor In a Limited or Anthology Series of Movie along with Jason Bateman and Richard Jenkins, while Cardellini was nominated on the distaff side alongside DTF’s Joy Sunday.
Overcoming Competition in a Star-Studded Category
Cardellini claimed the category by beating out Dakota Fanning, Laurie Metcalf, Joy Sunday, Youn Yuh-jung, and Constance Zimmer. Fanning earned her recognition for playing Jenny Kaminski in the Peacock series All Her Fault. Fanning is also nominated this year as an executive producer for Margo’s Got Money Troubles, which is nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, and she said she was bursting with happiness
about the various nominations in a July Instagram post. Metcalf scored her 14th Emmy nomination for playing Augusta Gein in Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story. Metcalf is a four-time Emmy winner; prior to her win for Hacks in 2022, she won in 1992, 1993 and 1994 for her role as Jackie Harris in Roseanne, and she was also nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her appearance in Hacks season 5. The category also featured Cardellini’s DTF St. Louis castmate Joy Sunday, making her debut as a nominee for her role as Detective Jodie Plumb. Sunday is a first-time nominee who celebrated her nod by sharing a photo of her younger self and a photo from her first day on the set of the HBO series on Instagram, writing, This kid never quite learned how to give up on her dreams. Thank you for enabling her @televisionacad.
Rounding out the nominees were Youn Yuh-jung as Chairwoman Park in season two of Netflix’s Beef.
The win marks Cardellini’s fourth career Emmy nomination and her first actual victory. Her prior recognition includes a 2013 nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for AMC’s Mad Men and two 2020 nominations for Netflix’s Dead to Me, where she was recognized for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and as a producer for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Inside the Opaque Role of Carol Love-Smernitch
Cardellini’s award-winning performance centers on Carol Love-Smernitch, part of a chaotic love triangle alongside Harbour and Jason Bateman that depicts a middle-age malaise ending in tragedy. In a previous interview with People magazine, the 51-year-old actress opened up about playing Carol Love-Smernitch in the HBO series, noting that the character was very different from everybody else I’ve played,
as Carol does not wear her heart on her sleeve at all.
Cardellini explained that it was “really fun” to play such an “opaque” character because, in the beginning, you think something about her, and at the end, you know more about her, and you might change your mind.
An Emotional Acceptance and a Dominant Night for HBO
Speaking to the audience after her name was called, Cardellini expressed genuine astonishment and gratitude for her long career path, mentioning that her heart was beating so fast and she just wanted to be able to feel it and look out and see people and to be able to look out and see so many of my castmates nominated.
I’m overcome, I’m sorry it’s a little embarrassing, but this has just been an unbelievable journey,
Cardellini said on stage. She continued her remarks on stage by thanking those who supported her throughout her professional life. Thank you to everybody along this way, all these years, who helped me get to this moment. A real dream come true, and I appreciate it very much,
Cardellini stated. Backstage, she reflected further on her position in the entertainment industry: One of my friends once told me it’s a long life in this business if they’re lucky, and I feel very lucky to be here right now holding this Emmy.
She can also be seen kissing her husband, Steve Rodriguez, after her win.
The 51-year-old actress and the 51-year-old actor both picked up their first Emmy wins after two previous acting nominations each for their work as onscreen couple Carol Love-Smernitch and Floyd Smernitch in DTF St Louis. David won his award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, beating out co-stars Jason Bateman and Richard Jenkins, who were both also nominated in that category, and famously thanked HBO for all your tons of notes.
In a departure from past years, the supporting acting awards in the limited series category were handed out during Emmys Night 2, which was formerly referred to as the Creative Arts Emmys, ahead of the primetime ceremony and telecast September 14, meaning Cardellini’s speech was not televised.
The victory was part of a massive haul for DTF St. Louis. The dark comedy scored 13 nominations overall at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards and was a big winner Sunday with six Emmys, winning six of the nine categories it was nominated for on Sunday night. Alongside individual acting wins for Cardellini and Harbour, the series also won for Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. The three nominations the show lost out on were Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Outstanding Contemporary Costumes for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
Primetime Outlook and Next Steps
While the Creative Arts ceremonies took place on Sunday evening, September 6, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, DTF St Louis is also nominated for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, which will be announced during the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, hosted by Mariska Hargitay, on Monday, September 14th. The show will air live on NBC and Peacock.
