What’s It Going to Take for Steve Carell to Finally Win an Emmy?
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- Steve Carell earned his 12th Emmy nomination for lead actor in a comedy for HBO Max's "Rooster," giving him the most career nominations without a win among this year's Emmy-nominated performers.
- The all-time record for most nominations without a win belongs to the late Angela Lansbury, who landed 18 Emmy nods without a victory before her death in 2022; Carell now sits in second place.
- Carell's nomination history includes six lead actor in a comedy nods for "The Office" from 2006 through 2011 (every season except the first), four producer nominations when "The Office" was nominated for best comedy in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, and a 2020 lead actor in a drama nomination for "The Morning Show."
- "Rooster," created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, co-stars Charly Clive as Carell's daughter and earned no other Emmy nominations this year beyond Carell's own.
- Director Paul Feig theorized on the "Fly on the Wall" podcast that Carell keeps losing "because if you're good, you make it look effortless," while "Office" co-star Creed Bratton called the snub "a travesty."
- Carell's competition in lead actor in a comedy includes Matthew Rhys ("Widow's Bay"), Martin Short ("Only Murders in the Building"), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II ("Wonder Man") and Jason Segel ("Shrinking").
- Carell has not been campaigning for the award this season, which the article frames as a likely handicap in a competitive category.
Why it matters: Carell now stands alone in second place on the all-time list of most Emmy nominations without a win, behind only Lansbury's 18. His path to breaking the streak this year looks steep: "Rooster" landed just one nomination, four established competitors are in the category, and Carell himself hasn't been campaigning — making a 13th nod without a win the most probable outcome.
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