Smart jokingly apologized for &34;walking like John Wayne&34; on her way to accept her fourth Emmy for her performance as Deborah Vance on the HBO comedy series

Smart jokingly apologized for "walking like John Wayne" on her way to accept her fourth Emmy for her performance as Deborah Vance on the HBO comedy series.

Why Jean Smart was limping at Emmys after Best Comedy Actress win for Hacks

Smart jokingly apologized for "walking like John Wayne" on her way to accept her fourth Emmy for her performance as Deborah Vance on the HBO comedy series.

By Ryan Coleman

September 14, 2025 9:25 p.m. ET

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Jean Smart holding her Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series at the 2025 Emmys. Credit:

Kevin Winter/Getty

Jean Smart just made Emmys history — but an injury nearly kept her from the big moment.

Rather than walking up from the Peacock Theater auditorium to accept her award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance on *Hacks*, Smart emerged from stage left after her name was called.

As she advanced to the microphone to claim the trophy from Jennifer Coolidge, 2023's Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series winner, Smart appeared to walk with a slight limp. She addressed her irregular gait in the hilarious opening remarks of her acceptance speech: "Thank you so much, you honor me so much. If I was waling like John Wayne, it's because I broke my knee this summer and it's not quite repaired."

A representative for Smart clarified that the star's presence backstage during the reading of the nominees does not mean that she was informed of her win in advance. "Because of her recent knee surgery, it would have been very difficult for her to navigate the stairs in a gown, so it was arranged for her to be backstage in case she did win," the rep explained. Representatives for the Television Academy confirmed that "winners are never informed of wins before they are announced."**

See all the winners at the 2025 Emmy Awards

Watch Jean Smart freak out as she signs 'Hacks' fan's arm as Deborah Vance for tattoo: 'Are you serious?'

In July, the 73-year-old legend of stage and screen revealed that she "went down like a ton of bricks" while out in New York City with her sons on Independence Day. Smart underwent knee surgery four days later — the same day she was set to open her grand return to Broadway in the one-woman show *Call Me Izzy*, forcing her to announce a temporary leave.

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"One of the best things about winning something like this is you get to actually publicly thank who you work with," Smart continued in her acceptance speech. She then extended her gratitude to* Hacks*' "unbelievable crew, my incredible cast mates, led by the incomparable Hannah Einbinder, and our showrunners. Oh my God. beyond brilliant. HBO Max, Universal Television, the TV Academy. My children, who are my anchor, [Joe Pacheco], my cheerleader. And everybody, let's be good to each other. Let's just be good to each other."**

Jean Smart walks the red carpet at the 2025 Emmy Awards.

Frazer Harrison/Getty

This is Smart's fourth win for *Hacks*, placing her in the elite company of four-time Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series winners Julia Louis-Dreyfus (*Veep*), Candice Bergen (*Murphy Brown*), and Helen Hunt (*Mad About You*).

But when Smart brings this latest Emmy home after the ceremony, it won't be only four she'll have. The actress has won three other Emmys for two series over the past three decades. She won Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Lana Gardner in *Frasier *in 2000 and 2001, and took home the*** ***Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series trophy in 2008 for her role in Christina Applegate's comedy series *Samantha Who?*

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Emmys"

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Source: ShowBiz MAG

Full Article on Source: ShowBiz MAG

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