Hacks Star Hannah Einbinder Has A Famous Mom

When Max's "Hacks" star Jean Smart hosted "Saturday Night Live" in October 2024, her duties included introducing the musical guest. Instead of doing it all by herself, though, she surprised the audience by having her series co-star Hannah Einbinder join her in welcoming Jelly Roll. Although Smart and Einbinder were embraced in an affectionate hug (despite being involved in Emmy's 2024's shadiest moment), there was more to the story than just a "Hacks" stars appreciation party happening. It was a special moment for Einbinder, who has her own personal history with "SNL."

Although the actor has never hosted the live comedy sketch show personally, Einbinder is very familiar with someone who has spent numerous hours on the stage at Rockefeller Center — her mom is actor and comedian Laraine Newman, who was one of the original cast members. Newman started on Season 1, Episode 1 in 1975, and remained for the following five years, through 1980. She sketched with the likes of Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, and Dan Aykroyd, and returned in 2015 for the "SNL 40th Anniversary Special," which creator Lorne Michaels declared was near perfection. 

Einbinder was born in 1995, over a decade after Newman's last episode of "SNL," but the former cast member told Screen Rant she got a kick out of watching her daughter on the set where her career took off. "Just seeing her on that stage, I could tell how excited she was. That was really nice, Newman said.

Before Laraine Newman was ever hired to work on "Saturday Night Live," she was already working in comedy. She was a founding member of the now-famous improv group the Groundlings and was invited to join "SNL" by creator Lorne Michaels who saw her performances. "It's a privilege to be able to follow your passions in life, in my case, all things comedy, and to ultimately make a living at it," Newman shared with The Passionistas Project podcast. The star, who mostly uses her talent these days doing voice work (she was Melora in "Despicable Me 4") shared her love of comedy with her daughter, Hannah Einbinder. 

Before nabbing the Emmy-nominated role of Ava in the series "Hacks," Einbinder was involved in improv just like her mom, and performed on stage as a stand-up comedian. In 2024, she headlined her own comedy special on Max, "Everything Must Go." The star told Stars SiriusXM 109 that her mom was definitely an influence when it comes to her sense of humor and affinity for comedy. "She showed me really cool comedy from a very young age," Einbinder revealed. "She would play comedy albums for me in the car."

Newman, of course, is happy to see her daughter having so much success, especially in the comedy and entertainment field. "I am a genuine, proud mom," Newman told People. "It's thrilling to see her shine."