Waiting for a new season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is always a slog, so it’s great to be at a point where the hyper-talented co-stars can be seen in all kinds of other TV shows and movies in the meantime. Fans like myself are currently waiting for Kaitlin Olson’s new dramedy High Potential to hit the Fall TV schedule, but it was her deserving work on HBO’s Hacks that made Olson one of the 2024 Emmy nominees.
Unfortunately for Hacks fans, when the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series winner was announced at the Creative Arts Emmys ceremony, it wasn’t Olson’s name that was in the envelope, but The Bear’s Jamie Lee Curtis, who won for her Season 3 performance as Carmy’s mom Donna. Ever the gracious nominee, Olson took to Instagram to share her A+ explanation for why she was just fine with losing to Curtis.
I did not win the Emmy for best guest star in a comedy for @hacks. The incredible Jamie Lee Curtis won for her work on The Bear. And frankly this is a huge relief, because had I won, I would no longer be able to complain loudly and widely about never winning an Emmy. Thank you to the team who made me feel like I looked like an Emmy winner, next to my multiple Emmy-winning husband @robmcelhenney who is no longer allowed to complain about anything.
Now, there was probably a sincere amount of disappointment involved, as is natural for such an event. But props to Olson for making it through to the other side with her smile intact and a fantastic outlook, albeit a self-deprecating one. She can leave it to fans like me to gripe about how deserving she is.
For all that I understand her work as Dee Reynolds on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is 20% of a do-or-die ensemble, making it slighly more difficult to affirm whether it's a lead or supporting role, can we just agree here and now to nominate her in both categories? She doesn't need to win both, because that would be too much. (The same goes for past Emmy winner Danny DeVito, who deserves more for his work as Frank.)
While the Emmys may have chosen Jamie Lee Curtis, the Hacks Instagram team gave Kaitlin Olson this sweet shout out in the comments:
OUR👏winner👏
Hacks IG
The comments were filled with loving replies from fans who agree that she's long deserved Emmy noms and wins for her work on Always Sunny and the canceled-too-soon magnificence The Mick. Not to mention compliments for her gorgeous look for the ceremony alongside her adoring co-star and hubby Rob McElhenney.
Of course, McElhenney broke the Emmy curse with the two wins he shared with his fellow producers on Welcome to Wrexham, which won for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program in both 2023 and 2024. It remains to be seen whether that streak will continue, but his smile certainly looks confident enough in Olson's post seen below.
Though the Creative Emmys were already handed out, the Primetime Emmys proper will air on ABC live on Sunday, September 15, and will be available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription.
