Will Lisa Kudrow win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for 'The Comeback' on Sept 14?
67% of users predicted NO — the community got this one right. 3 predictions cast.
Lisa Kudrow did not win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in "The Comeback" at the Sept. 14, 2026 ceremony. The award went to Jean Smart for HBO Max's "Hacks," her fifth consecutive win in the category for playing Deborah Vance across the show's run.
Smart's win gave her eight career Emmys, tying Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the most ever by a performer, even as "Hacks" itself lost the night's top comedy prize, Outstanding Comedy Series, to Apple TV's "Widow's Bay." Smart's streak in the lead actress category held despite the show's other losses, reflecting sustained academy support for her performance specifically.
Kudrow, reprising her "Comeback" persona Valerie Cherish, was among the nominees but was not considered a front-runner; the Predict Six community had priced her chances at just 33% before the ceremony, correctly anticipating that Smart would extend her streak.
The result matched community expectations, one of the more predictable outcomes among the night's acting categories given Smart's dominant run.