Our favorite Queen of Comedy has done it: Deborah Vance is officially the number one late-night host in the country. And in true Hacks fashion, Episode 9 kicks off with none other than Katie Couric interviewing her in a glossy, high-profile segment. Because that’s what you do when you’ve clawed your way to the top of the entertainment industry. The moment is big, triumphant, and well-earned.

But before we can even finish celebrating, a familiar shadow creeps in: Bob Lipka. With Winnie gone, the head of the network suddenly has time to linger on set. He assures Deborah he won’t interfere – after all the show is a hit, they clearly have everything under control – and then immediately interferes by demanding she invite actor Ethan Summers on her show.

Summers, while undeniably famous, is also wrapped in a package of scandal: erratic behavior, domestic violence accusations, and allegations of sexting underage girls. Deborah and Ava had agreed early on that they do not want him on the show. But Deborah knows she’s cornered. Bob got rid of Winnie for her (not that she asked for such drastic measures), and this is clearly part of the unspoken trade.

Ava is, unsurprisingly, horrified but doesn’t fight it. Not because she is okay with it, but because she has grown. She’s still an anxious, self-righteous mess but apparently, she doesn’t blow up every time something crosses a moral line. And Deborah? She’s grown too. Sure, she mostly plays along with Summers’ redemption tour, but she can’t help sliding in a little joke about his secret Snapchat account which he presumably uses to connect with underage girls. It’s bold. It’s risky. But it’s the right thing to do. One may call it “The Ava effect”.

Meanwhile, in a subplot straight out of chaos comedy heaven, Kayla and Jimmy are on a mission to Dance Mom. She has been missing for several hours, and she is scheduled to perform on Deborah’s show in like half an hour.

They find her passed out and deeply hungover on the Desperate Housewives set. She should not be performing in her state but Rob, the eternal showrunner, insists the show must go on, even if the dancer in question can barely stand. When cold water doesn’t revive her, Jimmy, at the end of his rope, lets her snort a little cocaine to get through the number. The scene is a disaster, entirely chaotic and messy. But in a good way. It’s also highly entertaining and nothing short of brilliant.

After the taping, Deborah is asked to cut her jab at Summers from the interview. His team wants it gone. She’s not thrilled but agrees. Ava, on the other hand, is furious. She calls it what it is: censorship.

And because this is Ava Daniels we’re talking about, the moment she runs into her old colleague Louis from On the Contrary, you already know she is going to mess up. Naïve as she sometimes can be, she casually vents about the network cutting Deborah’s joke. Predictably, Louis uses that information for a hit piece on Summers, in particular highlighting the fact that the studio tried to cover up his misconduct.

Ava immediately owns up to her mistake, telling Deborah what happened. And in a stunning twist Deborah doesn’t yell. She listens. She processes. She wants to figure it out together. Growth!

The two women want to talk to Jimmy but he has apparently disappeared. Kayla, usually comic relief, becomes the voice of truth: Jimmy has been holding everything together behind the scenes, and none of them, herself included, ever really stopped to say thank you. For once, there’s no punchline. Just honesty. And it lands. Deborah and Ava are left standing there, called out and confronted with the very real fact that Jimmy’s loyalty, patience, and work have been quietly holding their chaotic world together.

It doesn’t take long for word to get back to Bob Lipka. Someone talked, and it doesn’t take a genius, or even a mildly competent executive, to figure out who it was. Ava practically gift-wrapped the leak for Louis, and now Lipka’s furious. His network has been dragged into a scandal (lol), and there’s only one name on his chopping block: Ava.

Lipka: “Fire her, or the show’s done.” 

Deborah, to her credit, refuses, at least for now.

She visits Jimmy, who – according to Kayla – had mysteriously disappeared when he really was just at home, stewing in his feelings and ignoring everyone. Turns out, when no one notices your efforts, hiding in plain sight feels like the only move. Deborah finally tells him what he’s been dying to hear: that she sees what he does for her, that she appreciates him. And then, she tells him about her plan: “It’s something I really don’t want to do. But I think I have to.”

What follows is a potentially devastating betrayal. Shortly before Deborah starts taping their Oscar special which will be airing live, she sends Ava directly to the Oscars to do a segment for the show. But when Ava arrives, she discovers she and her crew were never added to the credential list. At the same time, she runs into Winnie, who bitterly tells her the truth: It’s Deborah’s fault she got fired. She wanted her gone and so Bob made it happen. Ava defends Deborah, at first, but one can see the doubt creeping in.

Ava rushes back to the studio, desperate for answers. When she arrives at the lot, she discovers her badge no longer works. The security guard tells her she is apparently no longer with the show. Ava is shocked. What the hell was happening?

Together with the security woman she watches the live broadcast, on some level expecting the worst. But what happens next is anything but.

Deborah begins the live Oscars special with a thank you. To the audience, to her team. And then to Ava.

“I’ve been asked to fire her by the head of this company. But I won’t do that… I refuse to fire her. Not just because she’s my creative partner, but because it’s a slippery slope. A few days ago I agreed to cut a joke I made to protect Ethan Summers and the studios interests. And now I have been asked to fire someone I love who did nothing wrong. So, what will they ask of me next? Where’s the line? And for me it’s here, right now. Which is why tonight will be my last show.”

It’s a mic-drop monologue for the ages. Deborah admits she played the game, cut the joke, played nice. But enough is enough. She won’t keep compromising just to make shareholders happy. “This was my dream. And I’m so happy I got it. But the dream changed… and so did I.” 

And with that, she quits. On air. Live.

Bob Lipka storms the control room, screaming for them to cut the feed. Jimmy is not having any of it and blocks him from interfering with the broadcast. A full-on physical fight breaks out between them, as Deborah’s words beam out to the world. The truth stays on air.

Ava watches Deborah’s speech, tears streaming down her face. The security guard finally lets her through. She runs through the lot, finds Deborah, and collapses into her arms.

“Why did you do that!? You should have fired me and kept the show!”

“There’s no show without you.”

That’s not just a line. It’s the thesis of the entire series.

But just when you think it’s over, Lipka reappears, throwing one last punch. Deborah can’t work anywhere else. There’s a non-compete clause in her contract. If she performs anywhere in the next 18 months, he’ll sue her.

The look on Deborah’s face? That’s the price of integrity.

And yet… she did it and she does not seem to regret it. She protected Ava. She stood for something. And in a world that constantly demands compromise, Deborah Vance walked away on her own terms. 

The episode was packed with so much emotional weight, character growth, and razor-sharp comedy that it felt longer than usual – in the best possible way. Every second felt intentional, every beat earned. It was messy. It was brave. It was honest. And it reminded us exactly why we care so deeply about these characters and why this show continues to be one of TV’s finest.

Are you still recovering from that mic-drop monologue too? Same! Let’s talk!