Jen Statsky Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

BreAnna Bell David E. Kelley urged his fellow showrunners and TV writers to be mindful of the privilege they have in the platform that television provides to reach millions of viewers as he accepted the 2022 Creative Conscience Award Thursday night at Variety’s Showrunners Dinner presented by A+E Studios. The kudo was presented to Kelley for his decades-long career of socially conscious work, which includes such series as “The Practice,” “Boston Public,” “Boston Legal,” “Ally McBeal,” “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” “Big Little Lies,” “Nine Perfect Strangers” and “Big Sky,” among others. “If our work matters, even a little, then that’s something,” Kelley said.

UPDATED, 8 AM: Max has unveiled the official trailer for Season 3 of Hacks. In it, we get a glimpse of a chance encounter in an elevator for Deborah (Jean Smart) and Ava (Hannah Einbinder) and a friendly (yes, friendly) reunion between the pair. Hacks premieres its nine-episode third season on May 2. Watch the new trailer above and previous teaser trailer below.

Selena Kuznikov “Hacks” is back, and Max has revealed the official trailer and key art for the show’s long-awaited Season 3. The new installment of “Hacks,” which Variety chronicled in this recent feature, returns on Thursday, May 2, with two episodes on Max. The nine-episode season will continue with two episodes each week, up until the season finale on May 30.

Hacks,” it appeared that Deborah Vance and her protégé Ava Daniels had reached the end of the road. Deborah (Jean Smart), a jaded Las Vegas comic, and Ava (Hannah Einbinder), the young and eager joke writer she’d hired, had together crafted a TV special that showcased Deborah’s wit and her willingness to change with the times. It was a perfect merging of what Deborah brought to the table and what she’d learned, at times unwillingly, from her young partner — and, having decided they’d done all they could together, Deborah fired Ava.

EXCLUSIVE: It’s late January on the Las Vegas Strip, and a woman with a tall beehive hairdo, and dressed head to toe in a pink, sequined pantsuit, steps in front of the fountain outside Caesar’s Palace clutching multiple bags of high-end designer shopping. This is Jean Smart, in the guise of her Hacks headliner Deborah Vance, preparing to shoot among the last of her scenes for the much-delayed third season of the Max and Universal Television comedy series.

Selome Hailu SXSW can’t get enough of Jean Smart. The crowd at Austin’s Paramount theater erupted as Smart walked down the aisle to find her seat at the Saturday morning world premiere of “Hacks” Season 3, in which she plays aging comedian Deborah Vance. The Max comedy series has been off the air for two years, during which Smart suffered a health scare and underwent a heart procedure that delayed production.

Max has dropped the official trailer for season 3 of Hacks, which returns May 2 for nine episodes.

Hacks has released its all-star lineup of guest stars for season three of the Max drama.

We’ll be seeing more of Kayla and Jimmy in the upcoming third season of Hacks. Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs, who have recurred as the characters since Season 1, have been promoted to series regulars for the upcoming season set for premiere this spring.

Hacks will soon be back.

Jaden Thompson Season 3 of the Max comedy series “Hacks” starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder is debuting soon. The third season of the critically-acclaimed series will premiere this spring. The news was announced on the official “Hacks” Instagram account on Thursday.

Talks continued but no sign of a Friday afternoon breakthrough.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Power publicist Alla Plotkin is teaming up with Jillian Roscoe, becoming a partner in Birch Public Relations. Roscoe launched the firm in March 2023 after leaving ID PR. Plotkin also departed ID at about the same time but didn’t announce her next move until her new partnership with Roscoe. Plotkin’s clients, including Sarah Paulson, Nicholas Braun, Bette Midler, Holland Taylor, Harvey Guillen and Titus Burgess, will join Birch’s roster, which includes Donald Glover, Jeremy Allen White, Sharon Horgan, John Cho, James Marsden, Kemp Powers, Gerard Butler, Judy Greer, Jesse Garcia, Mandy Moore, David Duchovny, Lake Bell, Jim Parsons, Fred Armisen, Jake Johnson, Ben Schwartz, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Melissa Rauch, Hannah Fidell, Ken Marino, Sarah Chalke, London Hughes, Lewis Howes, Zach Woods, Ty Burrell, Clay Tarver, Kevin Tancharoen, Julian Dennison, Jake Szymanski, Nicolette Robinson, Anna Drezen, Dan Perrault and Noah Pink.

EXCLUSIVE (Updated with Jen Statsky’s comments): Filming on Season 3 of HBO Max/Universal TV hit comedy series Hacks, starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, has been halted due of the writers strike, Deadline has learned. According to sources, production will be on pause for the duration of the work stoppage.

EXCLUSIVE: Filming on Season 3 of HBO Max/Universal TV hit comedy series Hacks, starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, has been halted because of the writers strike, Deadline has learned. According to sources, production will be on pause for the duration of the work stoppage.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Publicist Jillian Roscoe has launched Birch Public Relations. Her clients include Donald Glover, Melissa Rauch, Gerard Butler, John Cho, Jeremy Allen White, James Marsden, Judy Greer, Jesse Garcia, Mandy Moore, Sharon Horgan, David Duchovny, Lake Bell, Jim Parsons, Fred Armisen, Ty Burrell, Ben Schwartz, Jesse Tyler Ferugson, Kemp Powers and Hannah Fidell, among others. Roscoe was previously a senior vice president at ID PR. She left that firm — run by Kelly Bush and Mara Buxbaum — after 20 years last month. Publicists Rachel Karten and Lindsay Krug recently announced the formation of their company, Origin Public Relations, after also leaving ID in early February after 16 years with the company.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Production on “Hacks” Season 3 will resume the week after next, series producers Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky revealed to Variety on Sunday. Downs, Aniello and Statsky were at the WGA Awards in Century City, where the trio picked up the win for episodic comedy (for the Season 2 finale “The One, The Only”). “She’s doing great,” Downs said. “She actually said to me recently that she’s better than ever, which I believe because she is Jean Smart. She’s at home. Obviously, not out on the town tonight. But she’s doing really well.” Production on Season 3 of the Emmy-winning HBO comedy was put on hold late last month after Smart revealed via Instagram that she had successfully undergone a heart procedure.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Former ID PR publicists Rachel Karten and Lindsay Krug have launched their own firm, Origin Public Relations. Their client roster already includes Kathy Bates, Hannah Einbinder, Tracee Ellis Ross, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily Hampshire, D’Arcy Carden, Gillian Jacobs, Uzo Aduba, Abbi Jacobson, Christopher Storer, Jen Statsky, Andrea Savage, Busy Philipps, Ilana Glazer, Chris Estrada, Martha Plimpton, Lennon Parham, Jessica St. Clair, Liam James, May Calamawy, Michaela Watkins, Annabel Oakes, Jillian Bell, Abe Sylvia, Katy Mixon and Ellen Rapoport. Karten and Krug left ID PR — founded by power player Kelly Bush Novak in 1993 — in early February after 16 years with the company. “We are grateful to ID for their guidance and mentorship over the past 16 years. We are thrilled to be launching our own publicity firm and embark on this next chapter of our careers,” Karten and Krug told Variety in a joint statement shorting after announcing their departures.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Jean Smart is “doing well” following a recent heart procedure. The “Hacks” star announced on Feb. 23 that she had undergone an unspecified procedure. Production on Season 3 of the HBO Max series has paused while she is on the mend. “She’s doing well,” co-star Hannah Einbinder told Variety on the red carpet at the SAG Awards. “She’s recovering. We just visited her.” Co-star Poppy Liu added, “She requested a lot of photos from all of us. We will be FaceTiming with her.”

Jean Smart opened up about a surgical procedure she recently underwent.

The process of healing. Jean Smart revealed that she underwent an unspecified heart procedure and encouraged her fans to stay on top of their own health.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Production on Season 3 of HBO Max’s Emmy-winning comedy “Hacks” has paused as star Jean Smart recovers from a heart procedure. Smart revealed on Thursday that she had successfully undergone the procedure and was doing well. “February is American Heart Month — a time when the nation spotlights heart health, so it feels important to share with all of you that I am recovering from a recent, successful heart procedure,” Smart wrote on her Instagram account. “I am fortunate to have excellent professional care and support from family and friends while I continue to recuperate. Please listen to your body and talk to your doctor — I’m very glad I did!”

UPDATED: Hacks star Jean Smart has taken to social media to reveal she’s recovering from a recent successful heart procedure.

My guest this week is the SAG-nominated ‘Hacks’ co-creator, showrunner, director and star, Paul W. Downs.

Season 3 of HBO comedy series Hacks will have a surprising pause in the action, the shows’ creators revealed on the Emmys red carpet Monday.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor UTA Emmys Party, Sept. 9 This year’s Emmy host, Kenan Thompson, led UTA’s pre-Emmy bash on Friday night at the Rooftop at Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills. Intermittent rain made it a bit of a wet affair — and the evening humidity was not kind to attendees wearing suit jackets. But the rooftop afforded magnificent views (and the occasional lightning in the sky) for guests as they enjoyed lobster sliders, spicy tuna on crispy rice and churros with dipping sauce. Spotted on the roof were UTA founding partner Peter Benedek, HBO/HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys, Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier, producer Mark Johnson, Showtime entertainment president Jana Winograde. Among stars in the house: Emmy-nominated “Insecure” exec producer and star Issa Rae; Emmy nominee Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”); “Better Call Saul” stars Michael Mando and the Emmy-nominated Rhea Seehorn; “Succession” Emmy nominee Sarah Snook; “The Afterparty” star Sam Richardson, who was Emmy nominated as a guest star on “Ted Lasso”; comedian Patton Oswalt; “The Neighborhood” star Max Greenfield; and Emmy-nominated “Hacks” exec producer/writer Jen Statsky, along with the show’s breakout Meg Stalter.—Michael Schneider

William Earl Variety’s annual Showrunners Dinner will return in-person on Sept. 8, to celebrate the year in television ahead of the 74th Emmy Awards. The event will be presented by A+E Studios and will feature opening remarks by Barry Jossen, president and head of A+E Studios.   The Creative Conscience Award will be given to writer and producer David E. Kelley for his prolific career in television. David remains one of the most influential figures in television – having created iconic roles for women in “Ally McBeal,” “Big Little Lies” and “Big Sky.” Kelley is a trailblazer for creating complex female characters on television, especially in his early career when such characters were unknown in primetime television.  

Cara Danielle Brown The topic of work-life balance is all over this year’s awards season — and for good reason.Following the COVID-19 lockdown, many are striving to lead much more intentional lives. While shows including Apple TV+’s “Severance” offer an imaginative take on boundaries pushed to the extreme, HBO Max’s “Hacks” offers themes of the exact opposite: blurred lines.

Hacks was first born on a road trip to a Monster Jam rally back in 2015. It was during the drive that couple Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello and their close friend Jen Statsky discussed the relative invisibility of female comedians compared to their male counterparts. Having bonded as co-writers, producers, and in the case of Aniello and Downs, directors and actors on the Comedy Central series Broad City, together the trio cooked up HBO Max’s Hacks. In its first season, which also stars Downs as agent Jimmy LuSaque, the show’s depiction of female comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and her protégé Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) won Emmys for writing and directing, and acting for Smart. Now, its second season boasts 17 nominations, among them, Outstanding Comedy Series. It has also been renewed for a third season.

After a stellar first season that led to three Emmys wins, Hacks — starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder — had big expectations to meet in its second batch of episodes. It was a challenge not lost on its executive producers Jen Statsky, Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs.

HBO Max’s Hacks earned 15 Emmy nominations and three wins in its debut season including Outstanding Lead Actress for Jean Smart and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for its creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky. In Season 2, the comedy starring Smart and Hannah Einbinder took the show on the road.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor“Hacks” season two saw a shift in costumes for both Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder’s Ava. Costume designer Kathleen Felix-Hager made use of the season’s storyline that saw Deborah Vance on tour.From a lesbian cruise to a state fair, Felix-Hager worked with Smart and the team to play up the wardrobe. Producer and writer Jen Statsky says, “We knew it was a fun opportunity seeing Deborah as a bit of a fish out of water.

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has a pair of exclusive tracks from composer Carlos Rafael Rivera’s Season 1 soundtrack for HBO Max’s Peabody and multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy series Hacks, which is set for digital release tomorrow via Lakeshore Records.

Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels will be back for more stand-up stories after HBO Max renewed Hacks for a third season.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeHBO Max’s “Hacks” is the latest entertainment series to be honored by the Peabody Awards, which announced the win on Tuesday morning.“When they’re together taking on all things comedy and feminism, ‘Hacks’ crackles with wit and truly sings,” Melissa McCarthy said in her presentation to the show.Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Paulilu, First Thought Productions, Fremulon Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment, are behind the show.“HBO Max’s Hacks became a word-of-mouth hit thanks to the brilliantly funny intergenerational pairing of Jean Smart as standup legend Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels, the desperate young comedy writer sent to freshen up Deborah’s act,” the org said in its statement honoring the show. “Created by ‘Broad City’ writers Lucia Aniello, Paul W.

SPOILER ALERT! Do not read unless you have seen the second season finale of Hacks on HBO Max.