Jean Smart became the first female performer to win an Emmy for every season of a show on Monday (14.09.26).
The 75-year-old actress' portrayal of Deborah Vance in the final season of Hacks saw her win her fifth Lead Comedy Actress accolade, becoming only the second person to achieve the feat after Bill Cosby won for all three seasons of I Spy between 1966 and 1968.
Taking to the stage at Los Angeles' Peacock Theater, she joked: "Just the man stay standing, the girls get to sit down. I'm serious, every time this happens I think of the girls going 'oh I just got comfortable' with your spanx and your tape, and your shoes that are cutting your toes off, you're thinking, 'ugh she's not that good'.
"I have so many people to thank, my reps are the best in the business, my children are my anchor but this one I'm dedicating to Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky. It all begins and ends with them, I love you guys so much, what a ride, thank you all."
The win was Jean's eighth in total and meant she has now also tied Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman’s record for the most Emmy wins by an actor of any gender.
She beat out Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback), Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary), Elle Fanning (Margo’s Got Money Troubles) and Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) to take the prize.
