The Legendary Legacy of Jean Smart: On the Brink of Emmy History with a Fifth Consecutive Win

In an awards circuit where history rarely repeats itself, Jean Smart's five-year reign as lead comedy actress is nothing short of extraordinary. With her fifth and final nomination for HBO Max's critically acclaimed series "Hacks," the 71-year-old powerhouse is poised to make Emmy history if she takes home the statue once again. Since its debut in 2021, Smart has swept every season of "Hacks," earning trophies in 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025. If she wins this year, she will not only complete a perfect run across the series' entire life span but also secure her eighth career Emmy, tying her with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the second most acting Emmys won by a female performer. Joining Smart in this elite club is Allison Janney, nominated for "The Diplomat," who could tie their record if she wins. However, should Smart fall short, her near miss will mirror that of Louis-Dreyfus, who won six Emmys across the seven-season run of "Veep." Competing against Smart is HBO Max's own Lisa Kudrow, who has earned nominations for every season of cringe-comedy "The Comeback" in 2006, 2015, and now 2026. A previous winner for "Friends," Kudrow also shares the stage with cowriter Michael Patrick King. There's a strong possibility that the Academy will reward her for her exceptional body of work, much like they did when Phoebe Waller-Bridge defeated Louis-Dreyfus in 2019 for "Fleabag." Meanwhile, Zendaya, with two Emmys under her belt for playing Rue on "Euphoria," could also join this esteemed group if she wins. However, her streak is shorter and more challenging to maintain given the competitive field. She won lead drama actress for the first two seasons in 2020 and 2022 but faces stiff competition from Rhea Seehorn from "Pluribus" and Keri Russell from "The Diplomat." The stakes are high, with both Smart and Zendaya seeking to make history. A victory by either performer would mark the first woman to achieve this milestone and end a drought that has lasted nearly six decades. So, who will break through and claim victory? Only time—and the Emmys—will tell. This week's updated predictions are below: Drama Series: "The Pitt" (HBO Max) Comedy Series: "Widow’s Bay" (Apple TV+) Limited or Anthology Series: "Beef" (Netflix) Outstanding Movie: "Remarkably Bright Creatures" (Netflix) Lead Actor (Drama): Noah Wyle, "The Pitt" (HBO Max) Lead Actor (Comedy): Matthew Rhys, "Widow’s Bay" (Apple TV+) Lead Actor (Limited/Movie): Oscar Isaac, "Beef" (Netflix) Lead Actress (Drama): Rhea Seehorn, "Pluribus" (Apple TV+) Lead Actress (Comedy): Jean Smart, "Hacks" (HBO Max) Lead Actress (Limited/Movie): Carey Mulligan, "Beef" (Netflix) Supporting Actor (Drama): Tom Pelphrey, "Task" (HBO Max) Supporting Actor (Comedy): Stephen Root, "Widow’s Bay" (Apple TV+) Supporting Actor (Limited/Movie): David Harbour, "DTF St. Louis" (HBO Max) Supporting Actress (Drama): Katherine LaNasa, "The Pitt" (HBO Max) Supporting Actress (Comedy): Kate O'Flynn, "Widow’s Bay" (Apple TV+) Supporting Actress (Limited/Movie): Dakota Fanning, "All Her Fault" (Peacock) Guest Actor (Drama): Colman Domingo, "Euphoria" (HBO Max) Guest Actress (Drama): Brittany Allen, "The Pitt" (HBO Max) Guest Actor (Comedy): Rob Reiner, "The Bear" (FX) Guest Actress (Comedy): Betty Gilpin, "Widow’s Bay" (Apple TV+) Variety Series: "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" (Comedy Central), "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" (HBO Max), and "Saturday Night Live" (NBC) Variety Special (Live): "The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Rihanna" (Apple TV+) Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): "The Muppet Show: Wedding Mayhem" (Disney+) Directing (Drama): Vince Gilligan, "Pluribus" (Apple TV+) — "We Is Us" Directing (Comedy): Hiro Murai, "Widow’s Bay" (Apple TV+) — "Welcome to Widow’s Bay!" Directing (Limited/Movie): Lee Sung Jin, "Beef" (Netflix) — "Oh, the Comfort, the Inexpressible Comfort" Directing (Documentary/Nonfiction): Mariska Hargitay, "My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay" (HBO Max) Directing (Variety Series): Yvonne De Mare, "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" (CBS) — "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Series Finale" Directing (Variety Special): Hamish Hamilton, "The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Rihanna" (Apple TV+) Directing (Reality Program): Cian O'Clery, "Love on the Spectrum" (Netflix) — "Episode 1" Writing (Drama): "Task" (HBO Max) — "A Still Small Voice" by Brad Inglesby Writing (Comedy): "Hacks" (HBO Max) — "Hacks (Finale)" by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky Writing (Limited/Movie): "DTF St. Louis" (HBO Max) by Steven Conrad Writing (Variety Series): "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" (CBS) Writing (Variety Special): "The Muppet Show: Wedding Mayhem" (Disney+) by Albertina Rizzo, Gabe Liedman, Nedaa Sweiss, Kelly Younger and Andrew Williams Writing (Nonfiction): "The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize" (Comedy Central) Game Show: "Jeopardy!" (ABC) Host (Reality or Reality Competition): Jeff Probst, "Survivor" (CBS) Host (Game Show): Martin Short, "Match Game" (ABC) Competition Program: "The Challenge" (MTV) Structured Reality Program: "Love is Blind" (Netflix) Unstructured Reality Program: "Love on the Spectrum" (Netflix) Documentary or Nonfiction Special: "My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay" (HBO Max) Documentary or Nonfiction Series: "Sean Combs: The Reckoning" (Netflix) Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special: "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman" (Netflix) Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking: "The Librarians" (PBS) Animated Program: "South Park" (Comedy Central) — "Sermon on the ‘Mount"