During her acceptance speech at the Emmys, Hacks star Jean Smart humorously criticized HBO Max.
The 2024 Emmy Awards ceremony was held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on September 15.
At the event, 73-year-old Smart took home the award for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy for her portrayal of Deborah Vance in the HBO Max series Hacks.
Upon receiving her sixth Primetime Emmy award from Candice Bergen, Smart expressed her gratitude and described the victory as ‘so humbling’.
“I really appreciate this because I don’t get enough attention,” she joked.
She went on to thank numerous individuals, beginning with the show’s creators, saying, “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.”
Smart also mentioned the network, adding humorously, “Casey [Bloys] and everybody at HBO… Max… No, I’m sorry. Just what we needed, another network.”
Fans quickly took to social media to share their thoughts on her speech.
One Twitter user remarked, “Jean Smart not knowing whether to call her show HBO, HBO Max or Max is all of us.”
Another user responded, “She is also one of the few who can get away with slamming her own network with her amazing humor.”
A third user commented, “Jean Smart gagging HBO Max here a bit I always wind up stanning the right people.”
A fourth added, “Jean Smart roasts her own network in her win for HACKS.”
Another person wrote, “Emmys 2024: Jean Smart hilariously mocks HBO/Max confusion in best comedy actress acceptance speech.”
A final user concluded, “Congrats to Jean Smart!!! Btw that was hilarious when she called Max HBO Max and calling them out for changing their name haha, XD!”
In May 2023, HBO Max rebranded and changed its name to simply Max.
Smart’s speech didn’t end there.
She continued on a heartfelt note, dedicating the award to her agent, Scott Henderson, who she said has been by her side for ’30-plus years’.
Smart revealed that Henderson is ‘retiring’ and that it is ‘breaking [her] 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,” she said. “Scott, I love you and I wish you all the best.”
She concluded her speech with humor, saying, “He’s going to bicycle through France because that’s better than representing me? I don’t know. But thank you. Thank you all.”