Jean Smart is walking away from the 2026 Emmy Awards with some hardware after winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series .
Smart, 75, earned a standing ovation as she took to the stage to accept the award for the fifth time for her role in HBO Max’s hit comedy series Hacks. She thanked her children and team before becoming emotional, turning her attention to her costars following the show’s end after five seasons.
In addition to Smart, the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category was made up of Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary), Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), Elle Fanning (Margo’s Got Money Troubles) and Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback).
Smart, Brunson, 36, and Edebiri, 30, are all repeat Emmy nominees in the category.
Smart took home the award in 2025, as well as in 2024, 2022 and 2021.
In HBO Max’s Hacks, Smart plays stand-up comedian Deborah Vance, who works with comedy writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) to navigate their professional and personal lives in the comedy industry. The series has received an historic 86 Emmy nominations and 13 wins throughout its five-season run, which concluded in May.
Abbott Elementary, which premiered on ABC in 2021, stars Brunson as Janine Teagues, a teacher at Willard R. Abbott Elementary School in Philadelphia. The series has earned 37 Emmy nominations and four wins.
Edebiri stars in FX’s The Bear, which ran for five seasons from 2021 to this June, as young sous chef Sydney “Syd” Adamu, who works under Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) at an Italian beef restaurant in NYC. The series has accumulated 57 Emmy nominations and 21 wins.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles debuted in 2026 on AppleTV and stars Fanning, 28, as Margo Millet, the daughter of a Hooters waitress, Shyanne (Michelle Pfeiffer), and a former professional wrestler, Jinx (Nick Offerman). After becoming pregnant by her English professor (Michael Angarano), Margo turns to OnlyFans to financially support herself. In addition to Lead Actress, the series was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Comedy Series.
The Comeback made its return to HBO for a third and final season in May, more than 10 years after season 2. The mockumentary series stars Kudrow, 63, as Valerie Cherish, a fading 1990s sitcom star who attempts to revive her career with a documentary. The Comeback received six Emmy nods throughout its run, including two this year.
Overall, the medical drama The Pitt led the 2026 Emmys with 25 nominations, followed by Hacks with 24, Widow’s Bay with 19, Pluribus with 18, Beef with 16 and DTF St. Louis with 13.
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