Emmy Winner Jean Smart Thanks “HBO. No, Max. No, H … I’m Sorry. Just What We Needed, Another Network”

“Thank you. Thank you so much. It’s very humbling. It really is, and I appreciate this. Because I just don’t get enough attention,” said Jean Smart accepting her Emmy tonight, nicely in character as the self-centered comedian trying to stay relevant that she plays in the HBO/Max comedy series Hacks .

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“I will never be able to thank you enough for thinking of me for this incredible role,” she said, thanking everyone “at HBO, no, Max, no H — I’m sorry, just what we needed, another network.”

(Pay TV channel HBO contributed its name to Warner Bros. Discovery’s streamer HBO Max, which was then rebranded to just Max.)

This was Smart’s third Emmy in as many seasons for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series as critics and voters seemed to agree she gets better each year as Deborah Vance, a legendary but aging comedian looking for a comeback with steely vulnerability.

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Season 3 finds Deborah enjoying success again after setbacks with her long-running Vegas show. She’s on her own more this season than in the first two, which revolved closely around her relationship with comedy writer Ava (Hanna Einbinder). In Season 3, they both evolve professionally and personally but major trust issues lead to a dramatic finale.

The field was competitive. Nominee Quinta Brunson took prize at the strike delayed ceremony in January for Abbott Elementary (Smart, who had won for both previous seasons of Hacks, was not eligible).

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Also nominated, The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri — who won in January for a supporting role but was a lead this time around, Selena Gomez for Only Murders in the Building — finally joining her co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short among Emmy nominees, as well as Maya Rudolph for Loot and Kristen Wiig for newcomer Palm Royale.

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