Like most, Seth Meyers was a fan of Jean Smart’s fictional late night show on “Hacks” this season. That said, the real-life NBC host did have one note for the actress on Thursday night.
Stopping by “Late Night” in support of her one-woman Broadway show “Call Me Izzy,” Smart also dug in on the latest season of her HBO series. In it, her character Deborah Vance finally gets a shot at hosting her own late night talk show, but she decides to quit when she’s asked to fire her head writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder), with whom she’s grown extremely close. But that’s where Meyers took minor issue.
“The thing I found just a little not true, if you can take the note, is I would never sacrifice my show to defend one of my writers,” he joked.
At that, Smart cracked up and jokingly conceded to his point. Of course, it’s worth noting that Meyers did actually kind of do that.
When the Writers Guild of America went on strike in 2023, Meyers openly voiced his support for them and his show was one of many that went dark for months.
“If you don’t see me here next week, know that it is something that is not done lightly, and that I will be heartbroken to miss you as well,” he said at the time.
Additionally, while the strike was taking place, Meyers ensured that his writers’ salaries were still covered. So, the reality is, the NBC host cares very deeply about his writers.
As the discussion continued with Smart, the actress admitted that she’d never host a real-life late night show full-time. That said, she did note that she’d happily guest host one, winking heavily and openly hinting at Meyers.
You can watch Jean Smart’s full appearance on “Late Night” in the video above.
