Sally Field made her first red carpet appearance since Dolly Parton's death during the Emmys 2026 on Sept. 14, calling the country music icon's passing "everybody's loss" in an exclusive interview with E!. Parton died Aug. 25 of cancer at age 80.
Speaking with E!'s Keltie Knight during Live From E!: 2026 Emmys, Field, an Oscar-winning actress, said she could not single out one favorite memory of Parton from their friendship of nearly 40 years. "I don't have one," Field said. "Just every minute of being with her. You can't just have one."
Field and Parton starred together in the 1989 film Steel Magnolias, an ensemble drama that also featured Julia Roberts and Shirley MacLaine. The two remained close for decades afterward.
Emotional Tribute at the Emmys
Later that night, Field took the stage inside Los Angeles' Peacock Theater to lead an emotional tribute to Parton. "If there are truly angels on earth, then we just lost one: Dolly Parton," she told the audience. "It was my great good fortune to have worked with Dolly in a film called Steel Magnolias and, over the years, I never stopped loving her."
"She was genuine and humble," Field continued, "supportive and blisteringly funny with a bawdy sense of humor that would send any rude guy looking for a place to hide."
Field admitted that while she "adored" Parton from the moment they met on set in 1989, she could not see then what a real giant Dolly was, not just as an artist, but as a human being.
She closed her tribute by saying, "God bless you, Dolly Parton, my friend. I am not the only one on earth that will love you forever and ever."
The segment also featured a performance from country star Reba McEntire, who sang Parton's 1983 track "Appalachian Memories."
Sally Field's Own Emmy Win
Field herself won an Emmy that night, taking Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Remarkably Bright Creatures.
Field also recalled an earlier Emmy win from a past ceremony. She said she had "a great text to work with" and "a great costar" in actor Lewis Pullman. She recounted that the ceremony that year was called off twice amid a labor strike, and that by the time it finally aired, she was away working and missed it entirely. "I wasn't even there, I watched it on TV and said, 'Oh look, I won. Woohoo!'" she said.
2026 Emmy Winners
- Outstanding Drama Series: The Pitt
- Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus
- Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Noah Wyle, The Pitt
- Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Allison Janney, The Diplomat
- Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Tom Pelphrey, Task
- Outstanding Comedy Series: Widow's Bay
- Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Jean Smart, Hacks
- Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Matthew Rhys, Widow's Bay
- Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Kate O'Flynn, Widow's Bay
- Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Stephen Root, Widow's Bay
- Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Betty Gilpin, Widow's Bay
- Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Rob Reiner, The Bear
- Guest Actress in a Drama Series: Shailene Woodley, Paradise
- Guest Actor in a Drama Series: Ernest Harden Jr., The Pitt
- Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: DTF St. Louis
- Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie: Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures
- Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie: Matthew Rhys, The Beast in Me
- Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie: Linda Cardellini, DTF St. Louis
- Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie: David Harbour, DTF St. Louis
- Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program: Love on the Spectrum
- Outstanding Structured Reality Program: Antiques Roadshow
- Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program: Alan Cumming, The Traitors
- Outstanding Variety Series: The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
- Outstanding Reality Competition Program: The Traitors
- Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): The Muppet Show
- Host for a Game Show: Jimmy Kimmel, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Matthew Rhys won twice on the night, taking both the comedy lead actor prize for Widow's Bay and the limited series lead actor prize for The Beast in Me.
The Emmys 2026 aired live on Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and streamed on Peacock, with E!'s red carpet coverage beginning at 5 p.m. ET.
