WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Hacks season 4, episode 4.

Deborah Vance's lifelong dream to host a late-night show finally comes to fruition in J. Smith-Cameron in Hacks season 3), had an affair with Deborah's former husband, Frank. When Frank's house burned down soon after, the public assumed Deborah had committed revenge-fueled arson.

Ava discovers in Hacks season 1, episode 6 that, contrary to popular opinion, Deborah never burned Frank's house down. Deborah reveals that Frank's house burned down because of a coincidental dryer fire that occurred on the same night she found out about him and Kathy. Deborah continued to joke about it as if she had committed arson in her stand-up set, which perplexed Ava. Frank had blamed Deborah for the fire, and everyone believed him over her, so the story stuck and plagued Deborah's career. Decades later, in Hacks season 4, Deborah finally makes her way back into the late-night spotlight.

Deborah's Original Late-Night Show Was Canceled After The Fallout Of Her Messy Divorce

Her Ex-Husband Frank Spread A Lie That She Burned Down His House After An Affair

Deborah explains to Ava in Hacks season 1, episode 6, "New Eyes", that Frank was jealous that Deborah was going to get a late-night show, which is why he told the police and all of his Hollywood associates that Deborah started the fire. This tarnished Deborah's reputation for years because Frank decided to "blow everything up" when, really, Deborah was the actual victim of Frank's abhorrent behavior. "He made me the crazy woman who burned down the house," Deborah tells Ava in season 1. This led to Deborah's sitcom being canceled and her losing most of her wealth and assets.

Deborah was only 25 years old when this all happened. She its that she was naive, didn't read her contracts, and everything was in Frank's name, which forced her to rent a small apartment and essentially start over. Deborah stuck with the joke about burning down Frank's house because it had killed one night during her comedy set, which helped pull her out of her career slump, so she stuck with it ever since. "I realized that people would rather laugh at me than believe me," Deborah reveals to Ava. Even though Deborah filmed a pilot of a late-night show, it never went to air as a result.

What Happened To Deborah's Comedy Career After Losing Her Late-Night Show

She Rebranded Herself As A Stand-Up Comedian & QVC Host

Deborah's failed late-night show is revisited in the Hacks season 3 finale after she discovers she landed the coveted hosting gig decades later. Deborah rewatches her unaired late-night pilot, which was produced by the fictional prolific TV executive, Biff Cliff (played by Hal Linden). Deborah speaks with Biff in the episode, who greenlit Frank's popular show "Who's Making Dinner?", about why her first late-night show was actually buried. Biff reiterates that the house fire and bad press were major factors but also suggests that she faced more obstacles landing the job as a woman.

When Deborah started her career over again as a broke 25-year-old, she mostly left the world of sitcoms and late-night television to rise as a stand-up comedian. As she gained more popularity for her stand-up work, she started going on tour, playing on bigger stages, and eventually traveled the world as one of the top stand-up comedians of her generation. This fame led to her continued success as a host on QVC and earned her annual residencies at Marty's Las Vegas casino until he nudged her out. After Deborah revitalizes her material with Ava's help, a path toward a late-night gig opens up once again.

Why It Took 50 Years For Deborah To Get Another Shot At Hosting A Late-Night Show

Deborah's Controversy & The History Of Sexism In TV Contributed To Her Long Wait

Men have historically held the coveted late-night hosting chairs, which are just about as rare and tenured as Supreme Court Justice seats. Between his Late Night and Late Show, David Letterman was a late-night host from 1982 to 2014. Jimmy Kimmel has been hosting his show for 22 years, while Jimmy Fallon has been doing late-night since 2010.

This apparent tradition of exclusivity and sexism, combined with Deborah's housefire controversy, is why she had to wait so long for another late-night shot in Hacks.

With so few hosting jobs, which have all mostly gone to men, it's easy to see how rare and difficult this opportunity is. Taylor Tomlinson has been hosting CBS's After Midnight since January 2024, but she remains an outlier in the field. This apparent tradition of exclusivity and sexism, combined with Deborah's housefire controversy, is why she had to wait so long for another late-night shot in Hacks.