Awards season kicked off with loads of excitement at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards.
The event, hosted by Chelsea Handler, took place on Sunday, January 4, at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, with an impressive list of nominees in TV and film gathering to celebrate this year’s biggest hits.
It was a huge night for Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which led the pack with 17 nominations, including Best Picture. Ultimately, One Battle After Another ended up winning the coveted trophy for the biggest award of the night. Elsewhere, Jessie Buckley took home the award for Best Actress for her role in Hamnet while Timothée Chalamet won the Best Actor honor for his role in Marty Supreme.
And of course, one of the highlights of the night was Handler’s ever-hilarious commentary coupled with her eye-catching outfit changes throughout the ceremony, including a nod to late Diane Keaton with a tailored black suit.
Scroll below for the best and worst moments of the awards show.
Best: Chelsea Handler’s Monologue
Chelsea Handler brought the laughs with her hilarious monologue, featuring jokes about Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro, Teyana Taylor and more. At one point, she referred to Timothée Chalamet as a “little Labubu.”
In between all of the quips was an honest and heartfelt tribute to late director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, one month after they were found dead in their Brentwood, California, home. Handler remembered Reiner as “the nicest guy in Hollywood.” (Their son Nick Reiner was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.)
“Anyone who ever spent time with Rob Reiner knows that the minute you met him, he felt like an old friend,” she said. “When you were in a conversation with him, he was present and he was focused and he was funny, and he would ask you tons of questions, whether you were discussing politics or film or the latest beauty trends, he was all in.”
Worst: Several Stars Missed the Show
It seems like several stars decided to skip out on the night’s festivities and were not seen on the red carpet or in the audience, like Cynthia Erivo, George Clooney, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sean Penn. Kristen Bell also seemingly attended the awards show solo, as her husband, Dax Shepard, did not appear to be in the audience.
Best: Kathy Bates Licking a Ping Pong Paddle
All eyes were on Kathy Bates when Chelsea Handler told the crowd that Timothée Chalamet had arrived at the venue and one lucky person had a ping pong paddle underneath their seat, in ode to his film Marty Supreme. Handler said whoever had the paddle would get the chance to spank Chalamet at the afterparty. The camera panned to Bates holding the paddle and proceeding to lick it, causing everyone to laugh.
Worst: No Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson Reunion
While many of Us were holding out hope to see The Naked Gun costars Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson reunite on the red carpet, that just didn’t happen. The film won the award for Best Comedy, it was announced during E!’s red carpet pre-show, but Neeson and Anderson were not there to celebrate.
Worst: Jessie Buckley Is Paul Mescal’s BFF and We’re Not
During her acceptance speech for Best Actress, Jessie Buckley gave a shout-out to her Hamnet costar Paul Mescal, which made Us and millions of people watching at home rather jealous.
“Paul, I bloody love you, man,” she said, as the camera panned to Mescal in the crowd. “And I know loads of other women in this room do too, but — tough s***!”
Best: Owen Cooper and ‘Adolescence’ Win Big
Adolescence’s Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty took home trophies in their respective categories, as well as the show’s win for Best Limited Series. At just 16 years old, Cooper is already paving an incredible way for himself in show business.
“While this past year has been a complete whirlwind for my family and me, honestly. It’s changed our lives forever, and we’re forever grateful,” the teen said in his acceptance speech. “We’ve cherished every single moment of it. To the directors, to the producers, to the cast, the crew, you took me on an emotional journey I never imagined I could go on.”
“You believed in me, you pushed me when things were hard and showed incredible patience when it took me to get there,” Cooper continued. “Some of those moments were really, really tough, and I couldn’t have done it without you. Receiving this award means more to me than I can put into words.”
Best: Chelsea Handler Pays Homage to Diane Keaton
Later on in the show, Chelsea Handler appeared on stage in a black pantsuit to honor Diane Keaton.
“This little outfit is my nod to Diane Keaton, another person I think we should be remembering tonight,” she said after honoring late director Rob Reiner in her opening monologue.
Handler said Keaton was “somebody who made a big contribution to all of us and all the people in the room here. So I think it’s good vibrations to remember all of these good people, right. Let’s keep the vibes high.”
Keaton, who died on October 11, 2025, from primary bacterial pneumonia, was known for her tailored red carpet looks and structured pantsuits in addition to her dynamic film roles over the years.
Worst: Adam Sandler Walks Away Empty-Handed
For folks who were rooting for Adam Sandler this awards season for his role in Jay Kelly, he shockingly came up short at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards. It was Jacob Elordi who took home the Best Supporting Actor trophy at the ceremony for Frankenstein. (Don’t worry, we’ll still be rooting for you at the Golden Globes, Adam!)
Best: Teyana Taylor’s Iconic Reactions
Not only did Teyana Taylor look stunning on the red carpet in a tailored look with fur accents, but she proved to be the ultimate supportive queen in the audience throughout the night. When Paul Thomas Anderson‘s name was called for the Best Director honor, Taylor jumped to her feet immediately to hug him. When the film won the Best Picture honor, Taylor and her costars took the stage with Anderson, rooting him on during his emotional speech.
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