Jean Smart gets standing ovation at Emmys, drags her own network: 'HBO, Max — no, HBO'

Jean Smart added a sixth trophy to her Emmy collection, and her third for Hacks, and took the opportunity to throw some good-natured shade at the streaming home of her series.

Accepting the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series on Sunday night, she quipped, "It's very humbling, it really is, and I appreciate this, because I just don't get enough attention." Amid audience laughter, she protested, "I'm serious!"

Smart began by thanking the showrunners Jen Statsky, Paul W. Downs, and Lucia Aniello, adding, "I'll never be able to thank you enough for thinking of me."

She went on to thank some high-ranking execs at her network, only to mix up the ever-changing name of what's now known as Max.

"And Casey [Bloys], and Sarah [Aubrey], and everybody at HBO, Max — no, HBO. I'm sorry," Smart continued, teasing, "Just what we needed, another network."

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First announced in 2018 and launched as HBO Max (succeeding both HBO Now and HBO Go), the streaming network rebranded to Max in 2023, but at this point it's just easier to call it all HBO because, as usual, Jean Smart is correct.

Backstage, the actress commented on the standing ovation she received, explaining that she was taken by surprise.

"I was kind of stunned," Smart told reporters. "It was really, really lovely but not expected. It was really really nice."

See the full list of 2024 Emmy winners.

With reporting by Sydney Bucksbaum.