Cristin Milioti won the Emmy for lead limited series actress on Sunday in recognition of her portrayal of Sofia Gigante in HBO’s “The Penguin.” This is her first Emmy nomination and win.
“Sorry, I wrote this on the back of notes I took in therapy the other day, so don’t look at the back,” she said as she took the stage to accept her award.
“It’s very hard to make sense of being alive right now in this world, so I’m deeply grateful for the bright spots,” she continued. “Making this show with our incredible cast and crew, and getting to inhabit this woman was a bright spot for me. Despite it being very grisly, playing her felt like flying.”
Cristin Milioti from #ThePenguin wins best lead actress in a limited series at the #Emmys:
“It’s very hard to make sense of being alive right now, so I am deeply grateful for the bright spots and making this show.” pic.twitter.com/1QF5tHF1X2
— Variety (@Variety) September 15, 2025
Love Film & TV?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in music, film and TV in Australia and abroad.
Addressing her family, Milioti added, “Thank you for supporting your strange kid and showing the movies that were very inappropriate for my age.” She also thanked “The Penguin” creator Lauren LeFranc, “whose brain I wanna freebase.”
Milioti rapidly listed off several more thank-yous before closing her eyes, grinning and shouting, “I love you and I love acting so much!” The audience’s cheers and and applause grew raucous as she threw one arm into the air and let out a long “Woo!”
Milioti began her carer as a stage actor, earning the 2012 musical actress Tony for playing Girl in the Broadway musical “Once.” The role earned her a Tony nomination for best musical actress and a Grammy win for best musical theater album. On screen, she broke out for playing Tracy McConnell aka the Mother in “How I Met Your Mother,” first appearing in Season 8 before becoming a series regular in Season 9.Her other prominent credits include Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013), the “Black Mirror” episodes “USS Callister” (2017) and “USS Callister: Into Infinity” (2025) and the Lonely Island-produced film “Palm Springs” (2020).
Also nominated for lead limited series actress were Michelle Williams for “Dying for Sex,” Rashida Jones for “Black Mirror,” Meghann Fahy for “Sirens” and Cate Blanchett for “Disclaimer.”
“The Penguin” also earned nominations for outstanding limited series, lead limited series actor (Colin Farrell), limited series directing and limited series writing.
From Variety US