HACKS Star Hannah Einbinder Covers TOWN & COUNTRY’s May 2025 Issue

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HACKS star Hannah Einbinder covers the May 2025 issue of Town and Country magazine photographed by Lauren Dukoff and styled by Deborah Afshani.

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Hannah on whether her Hacks character Ava Daniels is the voice of her generation: “A generation doesn’t have a voice. It has many voices.”

Hannah on growing up in a household where making each other laugh was the highest form of love: Comedy was the force that held the family together, Einbinder says. It was “the language of the house. That’s how we talk to each other; that is the value system. I think a lot of people’s parents are like, ‘If you become a doctor I’ll love you,’ and my parents are like, ‘Make me laugh and I’ll love you.’” Eliciting laughter from them, she says, was the greatest reward possible. Their home life was also a sort of stage life. “Everyone was performing for each other. My dad was performing for my mom. My mom was performing for my dad. She was performing for my siblings and me. We were performing for her.”

Hannah on how her performer parents Laraine Newman and Chad Einbinder reacted when she said she wanted to follow in their Hollywood footsteps: “They kind of discouraged it. I was like, ‘Do you think I could do it?’ And my mom was like, ‘I don’t know. You could be really funny, and

it actually sometimes doesn’t matter.’”

Hannah on being an avid follower of national and world affairs and a longtime admirer of MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow: “She’s not just an anchor, she’s like a solo show artist.”

Hannah on the moment she discovered stand-up—and the rush that came with it: “Man, it was like doing a shot of heroin. All of my inhibitions and self-doubt were just melting away. It just felt so warm. I will never forget that first time.” That feeling hasn’t left her as she continues to perform, she adds.

Hannah on being the youngest comedian to appear on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and the last guest before Covid upended the world: “I felt grateful that I got in under the wire. But my main concern was losing this thing and losing standup and not knowing when it could come back. People exhaling in a tightly packed room—suddenly it became a dangerous job. It was like, ‘What am I going to do? How am I going to work?’”

Hannah on the confidence and control behind her onstage presence: “I have always been confident onstage. And you have to be confident to go slow and take those pauses. I know where I’m going, and I know that the writing will pay off. I’m actually kind of toying with the audience. I enjoy doing that.”

Hannah on life outside the spotlight: “I’m in a sweet spot right now. My life has changed zero in the most tangible, everyday sense. I walk wherever I want to go. I live really small; I have a one-bedroom apartment. I drive a used 2015 Prius.”

Hannah on staying true to her values in an industry that often asks otherwise: “Hacks has given me the freedom financially—at this point, for right now—to continue to make decisions based on my value system. As long as I can help it, I want to work with people whose morals are aligned. And I want to do that despite an industry that asks you not to. Every day I am given an opportunity to fold on my code of ethics. But they haven’t gotten me yet.”

Hacks co-star Jean Smart on Hannah’s natural talent and comedic approach: “She’s not a raunchy comic, which I think is really cool. And rare for a young person. A lot of comedians just go there because it’s easier. You can always make somebody laugh out of shock, but to make them laugh because they’re actually amused is much harder.”

Available everywhere by May 13th.

[Photo Credit: Lauren Dukoff for Town and Country Magazine]

• Deborah Afshani
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• Hannah Einbinder
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