Andy Cohen finally got the chance to question Hacks co-creator Paul W. Downs about a Season 5 joke that used the Bravo host as its punchline.
Downs and Meg Stalter appeared on Watch What Happens Live on Aug. 11, where Cohen played a clip of Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance discussing the problem with reality television. Deborah’s punchline was that she had turned down Cohen “more than every twink on Fire Island.”
Cohen then put the question directly to Downs, noting that he was the show’s co-creator and showrunner and therefore “in charge” at Hacks. As Entertainment Weekly reported, Cohen’s jaw dropped after watching the clip, but the confrontation that followed remained firmly playful.
Downs did not simply claim responsibility for the line. Stalter jumped in with her own version of events, while Downs pointed to Smart’s habit of improvising on set as he tried to explain how Cohen ended up in the joke.
Meg Stalter Says She Warned Downs About Using Cohen’s Name
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“Paul, as co-creator and showrunner, you were in charge at Hacks,” Cohen told Downs before introducing the clip. “So, I have a question about this particular moment in season 5.” After Deborah’s joke played, the camera returned to the Watch What Happens Live studio, where Cohen sat visibly stunned.
Before Downs could offer much of a defense, Stalter jumped in. “I told him not to put it in,” she said, adding that she had suggested using somebody else’s name instead.
Downs Pointed to Jean Smart’s Improvisation
Downs then brought Smart into his explanation, describing the four-time Emmy-winning Hacks star as an enthusiastic improviser who frequently adds material on set. “I have to tell you something: Jean Smart is an improviser,” Downs said. “She improvises like crazy. We can never rein her in.” He then added, “I don’t know why she did that.”
Neither the Watch What Happens Live exchange nor reports from Deadline and Entertainment Weekly confirm whether Smart invented that specific joke or whether it originated in the script.
Cohen Also Asked About a Jimmy and Kayla Spinoff
Cohen asked Downs and Stalter whether their characters, Jimmy LuSaque Jr. and Kayla Schaefer, could continue together in a spinoff. Stalter acknowledged that the idea appealed to them but quickly tempered expectations. “We’re not going to,” she said.
Downs offered a more detailed explanation in the official Bravo clip, saying there was affection for the idea but also reluctance to disturb the ending they had already created.
“I think we would love to do it, but we also want to leave the show as it is,” Downs said. He compared completing the series successfully to managing to “land the plane” and suggested that once they had done that, it was better to leave the story where it ended.
‘Hacks’ Ended With a Record-Setting Emmy Haul
Hacks concluded its five-season run on May 28, ending the stories of Deborah, Ava, Jimmy and Kayla after a final season that later earned major awards recognition.
The fifth season received 24 nominations for the 78th Emmy Awards, the most nominations the series had received for a single season. Smart was nominated again for lead actress, while Einbinder and Stalter received supporting-actress nominations and Downs was nominated for supporting actor.