This Actress Could Tie the Emmy Record for Most Acting Wins (Jean Smart)

At the upcoming 2026 Emmys, one notable actress has the chance of tying the record for having the most Emmy wins for acting. The record is shared between two actresses, Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who both have eight acting Emmys across their careers. (Meanwhile, the most acting Emmy wins for an actor stands at Ed Asner’s seven.) And now another star might join this distinguished company at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards — which will air on September 14 and announce its nominations on July 8 — and she has a very good shot of doing so.

Jean Smart could win a record-tying Emmy for Hacks

Actress Jean Smart has the high chance of taking home her eighth Emmy for her performance as stand-up comedian Deborah Vance for the fifth and final season of Hacks.

For the 2026 Emmys, Smart faces tougher competition in the past for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series from Lisa Kudrow for HBO Max’s The Comeback, Elle Fanning for Apple TV’s Margo’s Got Money Troubles, and Quinta Brunson for ABC’s Abbott Elementary. Kudrow is a strong competitor in the field, since just like Hacks, The Comeback is coming off its last season too. And Fanning’s performance in Margo’s Got Money Troubles has been lauded by critics, with the show’s debut season receiving an incredibly high 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

A very early bet on Kalshi has Smart with a 70% chance to win in the category, though Fanning had her chances spike from 12% to 77% due to a massive bet on May 15 (so we need to take this with a heavy grain of salt). Kudrow stands at 27%, Brunson is at 6%, and Kristen Bell holds at 5% for her role in Netflix’s Nobody Wants This.

That said, it’s tough to bet against Smart given her recent track record at the award show. The 74-year-old actress has been undefeated in the category for her performances in Hacks, winning four Emmys (2021, 2022, 2024, 2025), one for each season of the HBO Max series. Quinta Brunson won the category in 2023 in part because Smart wasn’t nominated that year due to the third season of Hacks releasing in May 2024. And it’s worth mentioning that the fifth season of Hacks holds a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Early Emmy predictions from Variety have picked Smart to win the category as well, while noting that other possible nominees could include Keke Palmer for Peacock’s The ‘Burbs, Rose Byrne for Apple TV’s Platonic, Ayo Edebiri for FX’s The Bear, and Tina Fey for Netflix’s The Four Seasons. She is also in the lead for who will be nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress (Comedy) on Gold Derby, though the full results show that the race is tight between four candidates: Smart (86.33%), Kudrow (85.01%), Brunson (83.20%), and Fanning (82.87%).

The actress’s other three Emmys come from two wins for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for Frasier (2000, 2001) and another win for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Samantha Who? (2008).

In a segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Smart embarrassingly revealed that she lost one of her numerous Emmys. “I have seven, but I lost one,” she said, “I don’t know where it is.” Kimmel then quipped, “That means you have too many Emmys!” In response, the actress said that her missing golden statuette is probably “in a box somewhere,” though she doesn’t know where that box is.

The whereabouts of her Emmy haul have been in peril before, with Smart admitting that one of her son’s friends had borrowed one of her Emmys for a movie shoot, but didn’t return it until “he was finally asked.”

Smart was originally set to star in a romantic comedy with Andy Samberg, but she was replaced by an Oscar nominee.