Linda Cardellini Wins Her First Emmy for HBO's 'DTF St. Louis' at Creative Arts Ceremony
Linda Cardellini has won her first Emmy Award, taking Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her role in HBO's DTF St. Louis (Deadline, 7 September 2026). The award was handed out during Emmys Night 2 — the ceremony formerly known as the Creative Arts Emmys — which precedes the primetime telecast scheduled for 14 September on FXX (Deadline).
Cardellini's acceptance speech was not televised, meaning most viewers will not see the moment she collected the trophy (Deadline). Gold Derby's winners list for the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys independently confirmed the result on 6 September (Gold Derby).
DTF St. Louis was a major contender at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, collecting 13 nominations in total. Two of those landed in Cardellini's category alone — one for her and one for co-star Joy Sunda (Deadline). The series won six Emmys across the Creative Arts weekend, including awards for writing and directing (Deadline).
The show, which also stars Jason Bateman and David Harbour, follows three adults caught in a love triangle rooted in middle-age malaise — a story that ends with one of them dead (Deadline). Cardellini plays Carol Love-Smernitch, a character listed on both her official Emmy bio page and the Television Academy's show page (Television Academy). DTF St. Louis also earned a nomination for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, which will be decided at the 14 September primetime ceremony (Deadline).
For Cardellini, the win comes after four career Emmy nominations. The Television Academy's 78th Emmy nominations records, published in early August, listed her with four nods and zero wins at that point (Television Academy, 7 August 2026). That column of zeroes has now changed.
The Television Academy had been spotlighting DTF St. Louis throughout the Emmy season. A Televerse Day 2 recap on 15 August noted that the show's FYC — or "for your consideration" — presentation panel included the creator, writer, and Cardellini herself among its participants (Television Academy, 15 August 2026).
The Hollywood Reporter's live winners list for Creative Arts Emmys Night Two also carried Cardellini's name alongside the character role (The Hollywood Reporter, 7 September 2026).
With the primetime Emmys still a week away, DTF St. Louis has already had a strong showing. Six wins and a pending shot at the top limited series prize give the HBO production real momentum heading into the main event.
