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Jean Smart had a record-breaking night at the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14 when she took home Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. This marked her fifth time taking home the honor for her role as Deborah Vance on Hacks, making her the first comedy lead actor to win for every season of a single television series.
The win also gave Smart her eighth acting Emmy, which ties her with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the all-time record.
In her acceptance speech, Smart gave a shout-out to her two sons, and while she didn’t mention her boyfriend, she has a special man supporting her amid this incredible chapter of her life. We’re taking a deep dive into Smart’s love life, including her current romance and her relationship with her late husband.
Who is Jean Smart’s boyfriend?
Smart is in a relationship with Joe Pacheco. While it’s unclear exactly when they started dating, they made their red carpet debut at the 2024 Emmy Awards, then attended the Golden Globes together in 2025. Pacheco was once again Smart’s date to the Emmys in 2025, Golden Globes 2026, and was by her side at the premiere for Hacks‘ final season in April.
The actress toldCBS Mornings in June 2025 that she was dating a “wonderful actor.” When she appeared on theWiser Than Mepodcast in May 2026, she called her boyfriend an “extremely lovely man” and said she met him at a friend’s party.
After winning a Golden Globe for Hacks in 2026, she mentioned Pacheco in her speech. “I have the best bosses, I have the best showrunners, I have the best cast, led by the brilliant Hannah Einbinder,” she said. “And I have… my kids, Joe, I mean … I am just surrounded by so much support.”
Pacheco is an actor whose first role was as a policeman on an episode ofThe Sopranos in 2019. His biggest role was onThe Morning Show, where he has starred in 19 episodes as Bart Daley. Pacheco’s other credits includeGrey’s Anatomy, Up All Night, Law and Order, and more. He also appeared in a 2026 episode ofHacks.
How did Jean Smart’s husband die?
Before she started dating Pacheco, Smart was married to Richard Gilliland, an actor, for more than 30 years. They tied the knot in 1987 and were together until his death in March 2021.
Gilliland died unexpectedly from a heart condition at 71 years old. Smart appeared on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace in 2024 and recalled her husband’s death “such a shock,” adding, “It was so unexpected. And, you know, I thought he had COVID or something. The places I took him to, to get him tested didn’t do anything except a COVID test.”
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After receiving no answers about why Gilliland was feeling pain when taking deep breaths, he eventually suffered a heart attack and developed pneumonia. “Which is why they couldn’t operate on him because in that time period that we had lost, he had developed pneumonia. So they put in a stent to try to hold him ’til the pneumonia got dealt with and they could operate,” Smart explained. “But it was too late.”
The couple met when he was a guest star on her showDesigning Women. “We just kind of bonded instantly,” Smart reflected. “We were never apart from that day.”
Before Gilliland, Smart was married to John W. Norwalk from 1974 to 1977. Norwalk was a lieutenant in the Marine Corps.
Does Jean Smart have children?
Yes, Smart has one biological child and one adopted child. She and Gilliland welcomed their son, Connor, in October 1989, but he has mostly lived his life out of the public eye.
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In 2009, Smart and Gilliland adopted a second son, Forrest, from China. Connor was 20 years old at the time.
2026 Primetime Emmy Awards, Monday, September 14, 8/7c, NBC and Peacock