Emmy Awards 2026: Jean Smart creates history as she bags best actress award for ‘Hush’
Actress Jean Smart made history at the 2026 Primetime Emmys by winning her eighth award for her role in the HBO Max series 'Hush'. Her win ties her with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the all-time record in the category.
Why it matters
This represents a significant milestone in television history, highlighting the sustained critical acclaim for Jean Smart's performance in a long-running comedy series.
Jean Smart has created history at the Primetime Emmys 2026 as she bagged her eighth award during the ceremony on Tuesday (September 15, 2026). Jean won the honour for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her role of comedian Deborah Vance on HBO Max’s Hush , making her the first comedy lead actor to win the award for every season of a single television series.
The award win has tied her with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the all-time record.
Accepting the award, Jean joked and said, “Just the men stay standing, the girls get to sit down.” She then went on to thank her collaborators and ended her brief speech saying, “What a ride this has been!”
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