Jean Smart Jokes She's Thrilled About Emmys 2024 Win Because 'I Just Don't Get Enough Attention'

Smart beat out Ayo Edebiri, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Quinta Brunson and Selena Gomez in the category of outstanding actress in a comedy series

It was a night to remember for Jean Smart!

The Hacks star clinched the honor of outstanding actress in a comedy series at the Emmy Awards 2024 on Sunday, Sept. 15, beginning her speech, "Thank you. Thank you so, so much. It's very humbling, it really is."

"And I appreciate this, because I just don't get enough attention," joked Smart, 72, adding amid laughter from the audience, "I'm serious!"

The other nominees in the category included Ayo Edebiri from The Bear, Kristen Wiig from Palm Royale, Maya Rudolph from Loot, Quinta Brunson from Abbott Elementary and Selena Gomez from Only Murders in the Building.

Related: Jean Smart Says Being a Single Mother Has Been 'Unimaginable': 'Hardest Thing I've Ever Done'

Smart also won the outstanding lead actress in a comedy series award for her role on Hacks in 2021 and 2022. She has nabbed six Emmy Awards during her career altogether, from a total of 13 nominations.

The actress, who plays comedian Deborah Vance on the hit Max series, previously opened up about feeling a mix of emotions when she first read the script.

“When I read the script, I said, ‘This is everything I could possibly want for my next job,’ ” Smart told The Hollywood Reporter in June. “But I needed to be sure that real stand-ups could believe I was a comic."

"I had never been a comedian, so they were the real litmus test. And I passed, I think!” she added.

Related: Jeremy Allen White Says He and The Bear Costar Ayo Edebiri ‘Really Enjoy Each Other’ Both ‘On Camera and Off Camera’

This marks the second Emmy nomination for Edebiri, who plays chef Sydney Adamu in the hit series The Bear. She won the award for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for the same role last year.

In addition to playing the role of the chef de cuisine at The Bear restaurant in Chicago, Edebiri, 28, directed episode 6 of the Hulu’s show third season, titled “Napkins.”

In an interview with Vogue at the 2024 Met Gala, she also talked about the shift to directing, saying, “I started out writing and acting as well so I feel like I know things from behind camera and in front of camera, and just getting [the chance] to zoom out.”

Edebiri also spoke highly of The Bear cast and shared that it's "such a dream to get to work alongside them and to work with them in a different way. Seeing that skill from a different vantage point has been really cool.”

Related: Kristen Wiig Joins SNL’s Five-Timers Club with Cameos from Ryan Gosling, Matt Damon, Paul Rudd and More

On Palm Royale, Wiig plays Maxine Simmons, who is trying to gain access to the exclusive Palm Beach high society in 1969, opposite Carol Burnett.

At the Los Angeles premiere of the Apple TV+ series in March, the 51-year-old actress and comedian told PEOPLE that the legendary performer has “become a very good friend of mine.”

“We have dinner and talk and text and she's so funny,” Wiig shared. “I did press with her yesterday and she was cracking everybody up.”

“And I am a better person from knowing her. I just love her,” she added.

Related: Maya Rudolph to Return to Saturday Night Live to Play Kamala Harris in Season 50

Rudolph, 52, stars as philanthropic billionaire Molly Wells on Loot. And in an interview with Deadline, the actress opened up about what initially drew to the role on the Apple TV+ series.

“Molly is such a fun character because she gets to be everything,” she shared. “The initial dive into the idea of playing Molly is you get to play a billionaire, and that just feels like endless fun — the dream of all dreams. If you had all the money in the world, what would you do?”

“What I liked about this particular project is Molly has all the money in the world and wants to use it for good,” Rudolph continued. “It’s a combination of those two things. I like the ridiculous and I also like the heart. Those are really my favorite two things, and it feels very fortunate when I get the chance to balance the two because I’m happy playing either."

She added, "They don’t always mix, but in this particular case she feels like a nice combination of the two.”

Related: Quinta Brunson Used to Work at the Apple Store — and Now Helps Her Abbott Elementary Costars with Their Phones!

Brunson plays Philadelphia school teacher Janine Teagues in the ABC series, which she also created, writes for and executive produces.

The 34-year-old actress previously opened up about Janine’s decision to work for the district and how season 3 allowed her to show a new side of the character.

“I always wanted this evolution for Janine,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in May. “I always joke that [Janine] watched some YouTube videos over the summer. She learned a quick makeup tutorial. She learned how to define her curls, [and her best friend] Erika took her shopping.”

“And to be honest, we give season one and season two Janine a lot of s---, but I feel that who she’s evolved from is still important and still valid and still beautiful. I want to be clear in saying, it’s not like we thought she was a troll before,” she added. “Its evolution.”

Related: Selena Gomez Attends High School Volleyball Game Upon Request: 'They Asked!! Couldn't Help It'

Gomez, 32, received her first Emmy nomination this year for her role of Mabel Mora on Only Murders In the Building.

And the actress credits the show’s writers for keeping its storylines fresh.

“I’m going to give the writers full credit, because they shock me. I’m a realist, so of course, in my mind, I think, ‘How many people could possibly be at our building and this happens?’ ” Gomez told The Hollywood Reporter. “And every time they lay out the storyline for me, they point out key arcs that each of our characters are going to go through. I’ve noticed that with my character, they’ve really allowed her to grow.”

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“She, I think, felt a bit more lost, and this season in particular, she’s very much in control of [herself] and the situation,” she continued of Mabel. “So it makes me feel very proud to grow with the show.”

See PEOPLE's full coverage of the 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards as they're broadcasting live on ABC from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

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