Jesse McCartney’s ‘Hacks’ Appearance Marks a Special Comeback After Five Years of DMs with Hannah Einbinder
SPOILERS: This report contains details about Hacks, Season 5 episode ‘Number One Fan’
As Hacks launches into its fifth and final season, character Ava Daniels, played by Hannah Einbinder, experiences a significant moment with a cameo that has been five years in the making.
In the episode titled ‘Number One Fan,’ singer Jesse McCartney shared that his musical appearance at Ava’s birthday celebration marked a "full circle moment." This came after he and his wife began watching the HBO Max series soon after its 2021 debut.
"We fell in love with the show, and then a buddy of mine hits me up like a week later, and he’s like, ‘Hey, have you seen Hacks?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s a great show,’" McCartney recounted. He was particularly struck when his friend pointed out a poster of him from his teenage years in Ava’s childhood bedroom during the series’ first season finale.
After seeing the poster, McCartney reached out to Einbinder via direct message to confirm what he had noticed. “She wrote back very graciously: ‘Hey, I’m a huge fan. I grew up listening to your music, and when the producers asked me what would be on Ava’s bedroom wall, I told them it would be you anyway,’” he recalled.
In this week’s episode, Deborah Vance, played by Jean Smart, hires McCartney to perform his 2004 hit ‘Beautiful Soul’ as a surprise for Ava’s birthday party.
"I was only on set for a couple hours — it was basically a cameo, but … it was great,” McCartney said. He praised the cast and crew, noting their friendliness and professionalism, stating, “everyone was so friendly, and just an amazing group of actors that [are] on the top of their game.”
McCartney remarked that Einbinder’s starstruck reaction during the scene was authentic, describing how she seemed to struggle to maintain her composure. “She’s like crying in almost every shot — and I’m not even sure that that was supposed to be in the script,” he said. “And then I saw her at the premiere, and she’s like, ‘It was really hard to find a take where I wasn’t crying in the scene’… It was really sweet, and obviously getting to work with Jean and Hannah was such an honor.”
Einbinder also opened up about her emotional response to McCartney’s appearance. "I was crying, screaming, throwing up," she said, revealing the intensity of her reactions during filming. “It was completely real — I was sobbing every single take,” she admitted.
“It was so authentic, because I actually was a Jesse McCartney stan,” Einbinder added. "I had his posters on my wall from Tiger Beat magazine. I loved him so much, and still do. He’s such a cool guy. He’s really nice.”
