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Meg Stalter and Paul W. Downs of ‘Hacks’ Know a Thing or Two About Pizza
The co-stars came by the New York Times kitchen studio to chat about food, cooking and the last season of their show.
Meg Stalter and Paul W. Downs discussed the best pizza styles while promoting the final season of “Hacks.”
Credit...
Taylor Miller for The New York Times
By
Victoria Chen
Published
May 19, 2026
Updated
May 19, 2026
Welcome back to the Pizza Interview, a series from New York Times Cooking where the Q&A has a catch: Our guests have to make pizza.
“
Hacks
,” the HBO comedy series, is back for its fifth and final season. Set in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the show stars
Jean Smart
as Deborah Vance, a comedian on a mission to revive her career, and
Hannah Einbinder
as Ava Daniels, a Gen Z writer tasked with giving Deborah’s jokes a fresh take. The series was co-created by Paul W. Downs, who also stars as Jimmy LuSaque Jr., Deborah and Ava’s manager.
Meg Stalter
plays Jimmy’s assistant, Kayla Schaeffer.
Watch the full video below (or on
YouTube)
, and read ahead for excerpts from the interview and outtakes, which have been edited and condensed.
Meg Stalter and Paul W. Downs make pizza in the New York Times Studio Kitchen.
Credit...
Victoria Chen
Have you ever made a pizza before?
MEG STALTER
Mm hmm.
PAUL W. DOWNS
Yes, we’ve both made pizza. My sister is a pizzaiola, so I have actually seen a lot of pizza being made because she’s an actual professional.
STALTER
What all do you do to be an -iola?
DOWNS
She studied the Neapolitan method of making pizza. She makes wood-fired pizza at
Emily’s Hearth
in Northwestern New Jersey in Sussex.
What’s your favorite pizza place?
DOWNS
Have you had
Grá
?
STALTER
I love Grá.
DOWNS
It’s so good. That is, if I’m outside of New Jersey, where Emily’s Hearth is my favorite.
STALTER
There is a pizza that I don’t want to say. It’s sort of a Midwest pizza, but we do have it in L.A.
DOWNS
You can say it!
STALTER
Jet’s Pizza
is kind of good.
DOWNS
I’ve never had it.
STALTER
They have a BLT pizza with mayonnaise and lettuce on the pizza.
DOWNS
Wow. This is probably controversial, but
Goop
pizza is really good.
STALTER
Is it controversial that I’m eating it every other day, Paul?
Have you ever cooked for each other?
DOWNS
You know what, I made Meg a
beef Bourguignon
for her birthday.
STALTER
But I don’t eat beef.
DOWNS
But she doesn’t eat beef.
STALTER
And you knew that, so it was a big prank.
DOWNS
So we invited some people over, and everyone else ate it. Have you cooked for me?
STALTER
I actually feel like I’ve tried to bring you lots of treats, but you said something like: “I don’t trust it, I don’t trust it. I don’t know where your hands have been.”
STALTER
What’s your favorite thing to cook?
DOWNS
I like cooking breakfast. I’ll take a leftover, and I’ll make an egg invention with a leftover.
STALTER
If you made a big old lasagna, what day are you not eating it?
DOWNS
Oh, after 30 days, you have to not eat the lasagna. I think up to 30 days is fine.
STALTER
Thirty-one, eh.
DOWNS
Gotta be within the month.
Credit...
Taylor Miller for The New York Times
Have you ever worked in the food service industry?
DOWNS
Yes, I was a waiter at
Tavern on the Green
. Where I had to wear a tuxedo in 100-degree heat.
STALTER
That’s so sweet, a tuxedo.
DOWNS
I was a junior waiter, so I had to wear a lime-green tuxedo.
STALTER
I worked at two places. One was Friendly’s. I was really bad at having any more than one table. I also worked at Panera Bread, and they only let me bus tables. They didn’t let me be the cash register person or the soup pourer. I don’t even think that’s a job. Everyone’s allowed to usually do all the things, and I was only allowed to bus tables.
DOWNS
I think you’d be an amazing waiter to have at a restaurant.
STALTER
Well, I don’t have a job now, so I guess maybe I’ll do that. Since you’ve decided to end our show.
If the cast of “Hacks” owned a restaurant, what would everyone’s role be?
DOWNS
I’m trying to think of who’s the best cook. Like, who would be the chef?
STALTER
Well, also it’s personality, because I could see you and Lucia [Aniello] being head chefs.
DOWNS
OK, I could be the sommelier. That would be fun.
STALTER
What’s that?
DOWNS
That’s the person that tells you about the wine, suggests a bottle, brings it out.
STALTER
I could be the midnight janitor that comes in and vacuums the carpets. “Hello, girls.” I’m saying hi to Rose [Abdoo] and Hannah [Einbinder] as they’re leaving.
DOWNS
You’re lighting up a cigarette in the restaurant. I’m like, “Hey, can you put the cigarette out?”
STALTER
And I go, “No! I’m vacuuming it!” I throw the cigarette, I’m vacuuming the cigarette up.
DOWNS
Vacuuming it? It’s about the air quality!
STALTER
I have a Febreze can, hello!
DOWNS
Anyway, the restaurant doesn’t do very well, I guess.
If you were a food dish, what would you be? Can you answer for each other?
STALTER
You’d be one of those snow cones where they load it. It’s like a loaded snow cone so there’s custard and snow cone. And there’s like gummy worms and stuff. Because that’s the best thing you could ever eat, and I think you’re the most awesome.
DOWNS
That is so sweet. Thank you so much.
STALTER
So many layers.
DOWNS
I think that you would be. …
STALTER
Say something nice!
DOWNS
I think that you would be a funnel cake.
STALTER
Makes you sick after a couple bites? Great.
DOWNS
No, no, no. No, because you’re also so sweet. You’re an American classic.
STALTER
Well, we actually had funnel cakes one day at “Hacks,” and I got sick from eating it.
DOWNS
How about this? You would be a chocolate chip cookie because it’s classic, it’s delicious, everybody loves it.
STALTER
Yeah, people pretty much know what they’re getting every time. It’s not even the best kind of dessert. It’s like, “I guess we’ll get a cookie if it’s free.”
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