Meet the Real-Life Loves of the “Hacks” Cast (Including Which Couple Almost Welcomed Their Child on Set!)

Hacks may feature two women who are frequently at odds with one another, but it’s also about the mutual love and respect between them.

The Emmy-winning show revolves around the relationship between Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), an out-of-touch and past-her-prime comedian, and Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), an up-and-coming writer who is hired to revive Vance’s struggling career. As they navigate a generational gap, the two characters develop a friendship that isn’t without conflict.

Speaking with Variety in February 2022, co-creator and star of the series Paul W. Downs referred to the show as “a love story.”

“It’s about two women who are cast aside by society and really need each other,” he said. “We wanted to create characters that were flawed and needed to do a lot of growing.”

The comedy also features Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Megan Stalter, Mark Indelicato and Kaitlin Olson.

While the show explores the complicated dynamics between various characters, off-screen, many cast members are happily in relationships. Olson has been married to actor Rob McElhenney since 2008, and Smart was married to actor Richard Gilliland for 33 years until his death in 2021.

Here’s everything to know about the real-life partners of the Hacks cast.

Jean Smart and Richard Gilliland

Jean Smart, who plays Deborah Vance, a legendary stand-up comedian, was married to her husband Richard Gilliland for 33 years.

The pair married in June 1987 after meeting on the set of the CBS sitcom Designing Women. They acted together several more times, including on the TV show 24 and in the play It Had to Be You.

Smart and Gilliland welcomed their first child, son Connor, in October 1989. Twenty years later, in January 2010, the actress announced that she and Gilliland had adopted a son, Forrest, who was born in the summer of 2008 in China.

Related: Jean Smart’s 2 Children: All About Sons Connor and Forrest

Gilliland died in March 2021 at age 71 following a “brief illness.” At the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards, Smart opened up to reporters about the loss of her husband.

“Well, certainly losing my husband was very unexpected, not something that I thought would happen for at least another 20 years. And having a young child, it’s been unimaginable,” she said.

Hannah Einbinder

Hannah Einbinder portrays Ava Daniels, a young comedy writer who is hired to revive Deborah’s career.

Einbinder, who, like Ava, is bisexual, has previously expressed how grateful she is to portray a queer character on Hacks.

“I was lucky to start on a show where my character is queer and I’m working with artists and women and people who are embracing that,” she told Variety in June 2022. “She was always queer. It was in the character breakdown, which I was so relieved to see, because it was the first bi woman I had ever had an audition for.”

The actress was most recently linked to stand-up comedian Alex Edelman. While it’s unclear how long the pair dated, Edelman confirmed their split in a June 2023 interview with The New York Times.

Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello

Paul W. Downs portrays Jimmy LuSaque Jr., Deborah and Ava’s manager, in Hacks. In addition to starring in the show, Downs is also the co-creator alongside his wife, Lucia Aniello.

The couple first met in 2007 in an improv class at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Downs told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021 that he was immediately intrigued by Aniello.

“I remember walking into class, super early and ready to go, thinking, ‘How do I get on a mainstage team? I must be on a marquee show tomorrow,’ ” he said. “And Lucia came in five minutes late, like, ‘What’s goin’ on?’ — so not nervous, so nonplussed. I was like, ‘Who is this girl?’ “

Downs and Aniello tied the knot in September 2021 in Italy and share a son, Luca, who was born as the pair were filming the last episode of season 2. Downs told NPR in 2024 that Aniello went into labor while she was directing a scene that Downs was acting in.

“In this particular scene, I had to be nervous. And so guess what? I had a lot to draw on,” Downs said. “We always say that, right now, Hacks is our firstborn, and our son is our second.”

Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney

Kaitlin Olson, who plays Deborah’s daughter, Deborah “DJ” Vance Jr., married her husband Rob McElhenney in September 2008 at a vineyard in Malibu, Calif.

The couple first met in 2005 on the set of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and started dating a year later. They now share two sons: Axel Lee, who was born in 2010, and Leo Grey, who was born in 2012.

During a joint appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in August 2022, McElhenney, who was filling in for host Jimmy Kimmel that week, opened up about the “ups and downs” of their relationship.

“Being in a relationship is very difficult. We’ve had our ups and downs, we’ve been married for, coming up on 14 years this September,” he said. “And I can tell you that I love you more now than I did 14 years ago. And that for as hard as it is sometimes, just like in any relationship, I will keep showing up and doing my best, because I love you so much.”

Carl Clemons-Hopkins and Chubi Anyaoku

Carl Clemons-Hopkins, who plays Marcus, the CEO of Deborah’s business, is married to Chubi Anyaoku.

While they keep their relationship private, the couple were photographed together at the HBO & Max Post-Emmy Reception in September 2024.

A few months later, Clemons-Hopkins celebrated their anniversary with a sweet Instagram carousel of images of the two through the years.

“🖤💍📠✨11 December 💜💚,” the actor wrote in the caption.

Megan Stalter and Maddie Allen

Megan Stalter, who plays Kayla Schaeffer, Jimmy’s assistant, has been dating her girlfriend, Maddie Allen, since 2022.

The comedian and actress doesn’t share many details about her relationship with Allen but isn’t shy about showcasing their love on social media. In September 2024, Stalter shared a carousel of photos with her girlfriend to celebrate their anniversary.

“HOTTEST SWEETEST SMARTEST FUNNIEST GIRLFRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD 🪽🌹TWO YEARS OF HEAVEN WITH MADDIE SHES THE MOST PERFECT PERSON 10000000% ANGEL❤️🌹❤️,” she wrote in the caption. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹IM SO IN LOVE WITH HERRRR.”

Rose Abdoo and John Matta

Rose Abdoo, who plays Deborah’s estate manager, Josefina, is married to TV writer John Matta.

The couple met at an art gallery in Los Angeles in 2001. During a May 2024 appearance on the comedy podcast Lovett or Leave It, Abdoo revealed that she approached Matta first, who teased her for being a comic from Chicago and moving to L.A.

He proceeded to tell a story about swallowing quarters, which the actress said was so bizarre that she immediately “became obsessed.” They then separated to different corners of the gallery, but their meet-cute didn’t end there.

“I was really far away from him, and he said, ‘All right Chicago,’ and he threw a quarter across this art gallery, and I reached my hand up … and I caught the quarter,” she said.

Soon after, they went on their first date to see a comedy show. “It was Dec. 1, 2001, and we live in a house, 1201 is our address,” Abdoo said, explaining the significance of the date.

Abdoo and Matta tied the knot eight years later on Oct. 10, 2009. They celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in October 2024.

Mark Indelicato

Mark Indelicato, who portrays Deborah’s personal assistant Damien, is not known to be romantically involved with anyone.

The actor told Out in May 2022 that his parents were very supportive when he came out to them in high school.

“I feel very, very lucky and fortunate that I had such supportive parents, and that [they] also didn’t make it a big deal,” he said. “[They] were just so, ‘OK, cool. No doubt. Doesn’t define you as a human being. It’s just an aspect of who you are, of your identity. And that’s great and you should celebrate that.’ “

Upon reading the pilot for Hacks, Indelicato said he immediately knew it was “something special,” and was impressed with how the show represented LGBTQ+ characters.

“They’re just existing as queer people,” he told Out. “There’s not really this grandstanding coming-out story, which I think in and of itself is a huge milestone in LGBTQ representation. That their queerness isn’t drama, that it just is.”

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