Jean Smart Emmy
Jean Smart recently received her 8th Emmy for her role in 'Hacks' @realjeansmart/Instagram

Jean Smart has made Emmy history after winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for playing Deborah Vance in 'Hacks' at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Monday, 14 September 2026.

The victory completed a five-for-five run across all five seasons of the HBO series, making Smart the first performer to win an acting Emmy for every season of a television series. 'Hacks' concluded its five-season run in May 2026.

The latest award also took Smart's acting Emmy total to eight, tying her with Cloris Leachman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Allison Janney for the record. Alongside her television achievements, Celebrity Net Worth estimates Smart's fortune at $12 million (about £8.9 million), although the figure is not a verified valuation of her assets.

Jean Smart's Emmy Record and Career

Smart's five 'Hacks' victories add to a career spanning television, film and theatre, with roles in 'Designing Women', 'Frasier', '24', 'Samantha Who?', 'Fargo' and 'Mare of Easttown'.

Before playing Deborah Vance, Smart won two Emmys for guest appearances on 'Frasier' in 2000 and 2001. She later won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for 'Samantha Who?' in 2008, bringing her acting total to eight with her five 'Hacks' wins.

Smart's latest victory came as 'Hacks' ended its run with its fifth season. She had previously described saying goodbye to the series and its central character as 'bittersweet', according to PEOPLE.

The show received 24 Emmy nominations for its final season, making it the second-most nominated programme overall behind 'The Pitt'. Smart's five awards for the role mean she won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in every season of the series.

Jean Smart's Estimated Net Worth and Property

Celebrity Net Worth estimates Smart's fortune at $12 million, although the figure is not a verified valuation of her assets. The website says its celebrity wealth figures are estimates based on publicly available information, including reported earnings, property and other assets.

Smart's career includes decades of work across television, film and theatre. She first gained widespread recognition as Charlene Frazier Stillfield on 'Designing Women' before taking on roles across comedy and drama.

Her reported property holdings include a home in Encino, California, which she and her late husband Richard Gilliland bought for $1.525 million (about £1.1 million) in 2002. Smart reportedly purchased a property in Toluca Lake for $5.25 million (about £3.9 million) in December 2022.

The properties provide some context for the reported $12 million fortune, but do not establish the full value of Smart's assets, investments or income.

Jean Smart's Husband and Two Children

Smart was married to actor Richard Gilliland for more than three decades after they met while working on 'Designing Women'. Gilliland played J.D. Shackelford on the sitcom, and the couple married in June 1987.

Gilliland died in March 2021 at the age of 71 following a heart condition.

The couple had two sons. Connor was born in 1989, while Smart and Gilliland adopted their second son, Forrest, from China in 2009.

Smart mentioned both children during her Emmy acceptance speech, thanking her sons as her 'anchor' before dedicating the award to 'Hacks' creators Lucia Aniello, Jen Statsky and Paul W. Downs.

The Emmy brings Smart's acting total to eight, with five of those awards coming for her performance as Deborah Vance in 'Hacks'.

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