Jean Smart's 2 Children: All About the "Hacks" Star's Sons Connor and Forrest Jessica Booth, Nicole PomaricoSeptember 13, 2025 at 9:00 PM 0 ruce Glikas/WireImage Jean Smart with her sons Connor Gilliland and Forrest Gilliland Jean Smart shares two sons with her late husband, Richard Gilliland, who d...
- - Jean Smart's 2 Children: All About the "Hacks" Star's Sons Connor and Forrest
Jessica Booth, Nicole PomaricoSeptember 13, 2025 at 9:00 PM
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ruce Glikas/WireImage
Jean Smart with her sons Connor Gilliland and Forrest Gilliland -
Jean Smart shares two sons with her late husband, Richard Gilliland, who died in 2021
Connor was born in October 1989, and Smart and Gilliland welcomed Forrest in May 2009 via adoption
Now an adult, Connor has remained a private person, while Forrest has shown an interest in acting
As the proud mom of two children, Jean Smart has been open about her experience raising her sons, Connor and Forrest Gilliland.
That includes talking about what it was like to unexpectedly become a single mom in March 2021 when her late husband, Richard Gilliland, died at the age of 71 following a "brief illness."
Smart and Gilliland first met on the set of the CBS sitcom Designing Women, and within a year, they married in June 1987. The couple went on to welcome Connor in October 1989, followed by Forrest in May 2009 via adoption.
After her husband's death, Smart continued to bring their kids up on her own, something she called "unimaginable," especially considering Forrest was 12 at the time.
"For a couple of years, I was running on adrenaline and absolutely obsessed with the idea of being able to do it all and be strong for my kids, especially my young one, and to let them know that ... mom can steer the ship," she told CBS News Sunday Morning in June 2025.
While "being a single mother is the hardest thing [she's] ever done," Smart told PEOPLE in September 2023 that it made her "get smarter" about taking care of herself and her overall health.
Over the past few years, the Hacks star has given nods to her sons during award show acceptance speeches. At the 2021 Screen Actors Guild Awards, she won for Outstanding Female Actor in a Comedy Series, and gave them a special shout-out, saying, "To my two children, Forrest and Connor, you are my life."
Here's everything to know about Jean Smart's children, Connor and Forrest.
Connor Gilliland
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Jean Smart with her children Forrest Gilliland and Connor Gilliland at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California on April 25, 2022.
Smart and Gilliland welcomed their first child, son Connor Gilliland, in October 1989.
Now in his early 30s, Connor has always led a private life: He has no public social media profiles and hasn't made major appearances.
Since Connor had two actors as parents, it's no surprise that he grew up on Hollywood sets — in particular, on Designing Women, in which both of his parents starred.
In a December 2022 interview with Elle, Smart talked about her memory of Connor at work with them when he was 2 years old, sitting on a director's chair with headphones on.
"He picked up right away that when he hears that buzz, that's when everybody has to be quiet and they're going to say 'action,' " she recalled. "So, sitting there, the buzzer goes, he goes like, 'Shh, shh.' "
The actress continued, "He was a very serious child, very serious. ... I always say that he was formed hearing lots of laughter but came out very serious."
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Jean Smart and Richard Gilliland attend the 25th Annual Critics' Choice Awards on January 12, 2020 in Santa Monica, California.
When he was 20, Smart and Gilliland welcomed his brother Forrest through adoption.
During a 2010 appearance on The Bonnie Hunt Show, Smart joked that even though Connor had been "more excited about the trip [to China] than the baby," that quickly turned around when he met his new sibling.
She recounted that he thought it was "incredible" and said, "'I didn't know I was going to feel this way.' "
Connor has also stepped up to be there for Smart since his dad died. "They take very good care of me," she told PEOPLE in September 2023, referring to both her kids.
She went on to share that Connor moved back in with her and Forrest while they adjusted to their new norm. "He's been helping me a lot since we lost his dad, and so it's been very nice to have him around," Smart added.
In the same interview, the Watchmen star explained that her children motivated her to see a doctor about heart issues she had been having, and she ended up getting a minor procedure done.
"I'm the one running the show now, completely on my own, and if something happens to me, what happens to my kids?" she said.
Forrest Gilliland
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Jean Smart and Forrest Gilliland attend the Los Angeles season 2 premiere of HBO Max's "Hacks" on May 09, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Smart and Gilliland announced the addition of their second child, son Forrest Gilliland, in January 2010. He was born 18 months prior in China, around the summer of 2008.
Connor and Forrest have a nearly 20-year age gap, and Smart said on The Bonnie Hunt Show that she "thought they were going to be closer in age" when she and Gilliland started growing their family.
In a May 2024 interview with Glamour, Smart revealed she had conversations with Gilliland over the years about the possibility. Eventually, the couple began the paperwork and welcomed Forrest with open arms.
"The second this baby was handed to us, we were just so besotted. It was the best," she told the outlet. "My youngest is just an amazing person."
While Connor stays out of the spotlight, Forrest has made several public appearances with his mom. He accompanied her to the 2021 Emmys, an experience Smart told Entertainment Tonight he was "ecstatic" about.
Speaking to E! News at the event, Forrest shared that he was "very proud" of his mom.
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Forrest Gilliland and Jean Smart attend the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards on March 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Forrest was also by her side at the 2022 Critics Choice Awards, where he again raved about his mother, saying she's dedicated to her craft.
"She deserves it because she's working 13, 16 hours a day, every Monday through Friday," he explained. "The one time she got a day off since December, she decided to spend it with me."
That said, he's not allowed to watch everything his mom has been in. "There's definitely some stuff that's off limits," Smart told USA Today in a May 2022 interview, when asked if Forrest watched her movies and shows.
She revealed that once some of Forrest's friends started watching Hacks, she finally "started showing him certain scenes" before letting him watch all of season 1.
He also may be the next actor in the family: In a 2024 interview with The New York Times, Smart revealed that Forrest was in rehearsals for his high school's production of The Pirates of Penzance.
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