Jean Smart Pokes Fun at Her Broken Knee After Her Emmys 2025 Win 

Jean Smart is anything but a hack.

At Emmys 2025, the Hacks star won the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, beating out Nobody Wants This' Kristen Bell, The Bear's Ayo Edebiri, Abbott Elementary's Quinta Brunson and The Residence's Uzo Aduba. (Click here to see all the celebrities at the award show.)

This is Jean's fourth Emmy for her performance as comedian Deborah Vance. In addition to winning in 2021, 2022 and 2024, she holds one Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy for Samantha Who? as well as two in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series category for Frasier.

Taking the stage at Los Angeles' Peacock Theater Set. 14, the 73-year-old told the crowd, "If I was walking like John Wayne, it's because I broke my knee this summer and it's not quite repaired."

Still, she was in great spirits. As Jean put it, "One of the best things about winning something like this is that you actually get to publicly thank the people you work with."

"Our unbelievable crew, my incredible castmates led by the incomparable Hannah Einbinder and our showrunners," she continued, before giving a shoutout to her kids Connor Gilliland and Forrest Gilliland, who she called her "anchor."

Jean added, "Let's be good to each other."

When Jean first won in 2021 for portrayal of Deborah, she dedicated her Emmy to her late husband Richard Gilliland, who had died six months prior at age 71.

"I would not be here without him," she said at the time, "without his putting his career on the back burner so I could take advantage of all the incredible opportunities I have."

Jean married Richard in 1987 after meeting him on the set of Designing Woman. The couple went on to welcome sons conner and Forrest in 1989 and 2010, respectively.

"He was one of those actors who never got the chance to really show what he could do," Jean said of Richard in a 2021 interview with The New Yorker. "I wouldn't have all this if it wasn't for him."

For a complete list of winners at the 2025 Emmys, read on.