Life imitated art for Hacking Stars: Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart at the 2024 Emmys.

The awards ceremony on Sunday evening offered a moment that was straight out of a Hacking script for the two actors – and it was totally funny because it was so authentic.

When Smart won her third Emmy for best actress in a comedy series (and her sixth Emmy overall) for her portrayal of veteran comedian Deborah Vance on the show “Max,” Einbinder was caught on camera experiencing a moment that her often-ignored character Ava usually has to endure.

As Smart stood to accept her award to a standing ovation, Einbinder stood to hug her co-star. But Smart didn’t see her and inadvertently ignored the gesture, so Einbinder sat back down and took it in stride.

If this were a scene from her comedy series Max, Deborah would have seen Ava stand up to hug her and intentionally ignored her. Of course, Smart and Einbinder aren’t really her characters, and Smart obviously didn’t turn around and therefore couldn’t see Einbinder. So it’s not like she was intentionally ignoring her co-star. And that just makes it funnier. (Watch the hilarious moment in the video above.)

Smart continued to get laughs (intentionally this time) during her acceptance speech. “It’s really humbling and I appreciate it because I just don’t get enough attention,” she said. Amidst laughter from the audience, she protested, “I’m serious!”

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She went on to thank the senior executives at her network, now called Max — and poked fun at the ever-changing name. “And Casey (Bloys) and Sarah (Aubrey) and everyone at HBO, Max, no, HBO. I’m sorry,” Smart continued, teasing, “Just what we needed, another network.”

Backstage, Smart told reporters in the press room that she was touched and surprised by the standing ovation she received. “I was kind of overwhelmed,” Smart said. “It was really, really nice, but not expected. It was really, really nice.”

See the full list of 2024 Emmy winners.