Jean Smart Wins Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy for Hacks

Jean Smart won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Sunday night at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles for her portrayal of Deborah Vance on HBO Max series Hacks. The award, presented at the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE and telecast on CBS, marks Smart's fourth Emmy for the role and her seventh career win.

Smart defeated nominees Uzo Aduba, Kristen Bell, Quinta Brunson and Ayo Edebiri in a category that industry observers said was unusually competitive this year. When she reached the stage, Smart joked that a noticeable limp was the result of a knee injury, saying, If I was walking like John Wayne, it is because I hurt my knee this summer and it is not quite repaired. She thanked her crew, castmates and showrunners, acknowledged her children and a man she called Joe who she described as her cheerleader, and closed with a plea to the audience: Everybody, let us be good to each other, she said.

Smart has been closely associated with Deborah Vance since Hacks premiered. The series, created by Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky, follows a once-dominant Las Vegas comedian navigating a late career reinvention. This season culminated in Vance...