Jean Smart Takes a Jab at HBO Max Name Change in Emmy Acceptance Speech: ‘Just What We Needed, Another Network’

Brande Victorian
·2 min read

Jean Smart won the award for best lead actress in a comedy series at the 2024 Primetime Emmys. The actress, who won her second Emmy for her role as Deborah Vance on the Max (formerly HBO Max) comedy Hacks, quipped about the network’s name change in her acceptance speech during the award show.

“Thank you so, so much, so humbling, I really appreciate this because I don’t get enough attention,” joked Smart as she accepted the award presented by Candice Bergen. “I have so many people to thank, starting with our brilliant showrunners. Jen [Statsky], Paul [W. Downs] and Lucia [Aniello]. I will never be able to thank you enough for thinking of me. Casey [Bloys] and everybody at HBO… Max… no, I’m sorry,” she added to a roar of laughter. “Just what we needed, another network.”

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Smart then went on to acknowledge her longtime agent during her speech.

“I’m going to honor tonight my agent, Scott Henderson, of 30-plus years, who is retiring and breaking my heart. The most amazing, supportive, cultured, tasteful, funny, kind, loving man who never tried to talk me in or out of things I really didn’t feel great about. Scott, I love you and I wish you all the best. He’s going to bicycle through France because that’s better than representing me? I don’t know. But thank you. Thank you all,” she added as she appeared to hold back tears.

The award for best lead actress in a comedy marks Smart’s sixth Emmy win from 13 career nominations. She previously won the Emmy for her role as Vance in 2022.

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