Allison Janney and Jean Smart have made Emmy Awards history after each taking home their eighth acting statuette at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14. Their wins put them alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman, who previously shared the record for the most acting Emmy wins by any performer.
With Smart and Janney now reaching eight wins each, four women jointly hold the all-time record. The achievement adds another milestone to an already notable night for both actresses.
Jean Smart wins fifth Emmy for Hacks
Jean Smart, 75, won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series award for her performance as comedian Deborah Vance in HBO’s “Hacks”. It marked her fifth Emmy win in the category and her eighth acting Emmy overall. Smart had previously won Emmys for her work in “Frasier” and “Samantha Who?”. Within the lead comedy actress category, Julia Louis-Dreyfus continues to hold the record with seven wins, while Smart has now matched Mary Tyler Moore and Candice Bergen with five wins.
Smart’s run with “Hacks” has been particularly remarkable. The series concluded with its finale in May, and the actress won the Emmy for her performance in all five seasons. That means she has taken home the award every year she has been eligible for the role. While accepting the award, Smart thanked Universal, HBO, her representatives and her children, Forrest and Connor.
“I have so many people to thank,” Smart said onstage. She also dedicated the win to “Hacks” creators Lucia Aniello, Jen Statsky and Paul W. Downs, saying, “It all begins and ends with them. I love you guys so much.”
Allison Janney takes home eighth Emmy
Allison Janney, 66, also reached eight acting Emmy wins after winning Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Netflix’s “The Diplomat”. Janney plays U.S. President Grace Hagen Penn in the political drama. The win also gave the Oscar-winning actress another record, as she became one of the performers to have won an acting Emmy for four different shows.
She joins Ed Asner, Tyne Daly, Alfre Woodard, John Lithgow, Betty White, Helen Mirren and Laura Linney in that distinction. Janney’s previous Emmy wins came for “The West Wing”, “Mom” and “Masters of Sex”.
“I’m very surprised and very, very grateful to be here,” Janney said while accepting the award. She went on to thank showrunner Debora Cahn, director Alex Gray, Janice Williams and Keri Russell, who leads “The Diplomat”.
With their latest victories, Janney and Smart have not only added another Emmy to their celebrated careers but also joined a small group of women at the very top of television’s acting record books.
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