4 hours ago
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Jean Smart surprised fans with pizza outside of the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on Friday night.
Earlier in the night, the 74-year-old actress had taken the stage as Deborah Vance, reprising her famous role in the HBO drama Hacks for a comedy event.
She was joined by co-stars Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs, Mark Indelicato and Lauren Weedman, who each returned to character for what was dubbed Deborah Vance & Friends & Enemies Live.
After the show, she discovered untouched boxes of pizza backstage and declared, 'These can’t be thrown out – this is terrible,' according to an account from the New York Times.
She resolved to distribute the pies, and footage shared by People magazine shows the beloved star doing exactly that with a crowd of excited takers surrounding her.
It comes almost three months after the series ended with its fifth and final season.
Jean Smart surprised fans with pizza outside of the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on Friday night; pictured August 13
Earlier in the night, the 74-year-old actress had taken the stage as Deborah Vance, reprising her famous role in the HBO drama Hacks for a comedy event; seen with Hannah Einbinder in Hacks
Friday's hourlong event was promoted as 'in-world production,' according to the NYT report.
It consisted of Smart delivering a stand-up comedy set as her character Vance, and was filmed and performed in conjunction with the start of Emmy Awards voting.
The scripted show included an interactive Deborah Vance trivia segment, as well as stand-up sets from Weedman, comedian Naomi Ekperigin, and Hacks writer Pat Regan.
Actress Meg Stalter, who reprised her role as Kayla, was even involved via a virtual appearance.
Per the Times, the show wrapped with Smart and Einbinder singing Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand's Get Happy and Happy Days Are Here Again medley, in a reference to the Hacks finale.
Showrunners Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky were asked by HBO Max to create a unique event and excitedly took on the task.
'It was probably the fastest yes to something like this we’ve ever gotten from the cast,' Downs told the Times.
The trio developed the idea in late July and took 10 days to write the script. The actors rehearsed for the first time just hours before showtime.
L-R Hacks writer Jen Statsky, Smart, actress Hannah Einbinder, producer Lucia Aniello, and actor Paul W. Downs pictured on Sunday
It comes almost three months after the series ended with its fifth and final season
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Should more celebrities interact with fans in real-life moments like Jean Smart did with her pizza giveaway?
Last month, Hacks earned the second-most 2026 Emmy nominations with a whopping 24.
Among them was a Best Actress in a Comedy nod for Smart, who has earned seven Primetime Emmys, including four for the HBO series.
The star was married to actor Richard Gilliland for 35 years before his sudden death from a heart condition in 2021.
They shared two sons, Connor Gilliland, 36, and Forrest Gilliland, 18.
Smart has been dating actor Joe Pacheco since 2024.
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