The biggest actors in Hollywood aren’t slowing down as another jam-packed awards season hurtles towards the finish line.
On Sunday, February 23, stars from movie and TV came together at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles to enjoy the 2025 SAG Awards.
After the red carpet but before any award was handed out during the live Netflix telecast, host Kristen Bell acknowledged the recent wildfires that affected much of Los Angeles County.
“This city and the people in it have been put through the wringer. Our most attractive tables are right over there,” she said before pointing to several tables filled with Los Angeles firefighters. “Words won’t do it. Invitations to these events won’t do it, and as a diagnosed people pleaser, I really need to know what will do it because not knowing is very very hard for me.”
What Bell did know was she had a duty to help run a show filled with must-see acceptance speeches and a few surprise wins. Keep reading to see the best and worst moments from the 2025 SAG Awards:
Best Opening Moment: Jean Smart
Although Bell found a creative way to get a Frozen song stuck in our heads again thanks to her unique rendition of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman,” it was Smart’s opening sketch that earned big laughs from viewers at home.
While channeling Deborah Vance from Hacks, Smart learned that she had been fired from hosting the 2025 SAG Awards because she hadn’t paid her dues in years. At the end of the segment, she’s offered to take “The Substance” before Bell takes control as host.
Best, Most Unpredictable Acceptance Speech: Kieran Culkin
After receiving the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in A Real Pain, Culkin playfully took a shot at The Brutalist star Adrien Brody in his wide-ranging speech.
“I don’t think there’s any way anyone can hold this for 45 seconds. Which is the allotted time, Adrien Brody, 45 seconds,” Culkin said before acknowledging there was no need for the joke. “There was no reason to take that shot. I love you, it’s a joke. You take your time. Lord knows I will because I didn’t think of anything.”
Best Surprise: Legitimate Surprises
With awards season coming to an end, some may think they know who’s going to win based on the many trophy-fests beforehand. SAG-AFTRA voters, however, reminded fans to expect the unexpected.
A Complete Unknown’s Timothée Chalamet and Martin Short winning Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in film and TV roles, respectively, was a plot twist some fans didn’t see coming. Short’s good luck continued when Only Murders in the Building won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. “We never win,” Selena Gomez shared during her speech. “This is weird.”
And with the 2025 Oscars just one week away, Conclave’s shocking win for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture may just be the boost they need.
Best Reunion: All of Them!
The Good Place stars Ted Danson and William Jackson Harper paid tribute to the sexy tennis movie Challengers when they engaged in their own jostling love triangle as they competed for former castmate Bell’s attention.
“This is not a challenge,” Bell proclaimed before her former costars Danson and Jackson Harper playfully disagreed and leaned in for a mock kiss.
The reunions kept coming throughout the night as cast members from New Girl, Gossip Girl, X-Files and more found themselves in the same room at the same time.
Best Unexpected Tribute: ‘Law & Order’
While Mariska Hargitay’s longtime drama series was not nominated for an award, the SAG Awards couldn’t help but acknowledge just how many major stars have had the opportunity to have early-career guest star roles on Law & Order and its famous spinoffs.
“In the television industry, detective-based shows are considered especially beloved,” Hargitay said in a pretaped segment. “In the Law & Order universe, these dedicated actors that bring these stories to life are members of an elite squad known as the guest stars.”
Old footage of then-unknown Bradley Cooper, Viola Davis, Sarah Paulson, Kerry Washington, Sabrina Carpenter and other stars began to play with clips of their small but unforgettable roles.
Worst: Flubbed Best Picture Nominees’ Intros
We’re the first to acknowledge that no actor is perfect. But as casts from various Best Picture nominees delivered a snippet of their highly regarded film of the year, we wondered if they had any time to rehearse?
As the cast from A Complete Unknown celebrated their film, Chalamet wasn’t sure what to read and when to begin. “We should have done a rehearsal,” he joked.
In comparison, the cast of Anora couldn’t help but giggle through a majority of their speech. Anything can happen when a show is live.
Worst Struggle: Heavy Trophies
Based on several reactions from award-winning actors, the SAG Award trophy isn’t the lightest prize to hold during a night of celebrating. According to Kulkin, his award was “incredibly heavy” and later joked that the “heaviest of all awards is the one given by actors.”
For the record: The trophy reportedly measures 16 inches tall and weighs 12 pounds.
Worst Technical Difficulties: Jane Fonda
After receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, Fonda delivered one of her signature speeches by grabbing the microphone and pleading with viewers to practice empathy and truth in a changing world.
At one point in her speech, viewers could hear a muffle from her microphone. At a separate moment, the sounds of a voice-over began playing. Fortunately, Fonda took it in stride by responding, “And I can conjure up voices!”
Worst Trigger: Jamie Lee Curtis’ COVID-19 Confession
Just when we thought we were healed from the coronavirus pandemic, Curtis delivered a shout-out to the actor who got her sick at a previous award show. What came next was a reminder of a season filled with masks, social distancing and Zooms.
“And the Actor goes to…the man who gave me COVID at the Golden Globes,” she said. Colin Farrell.”
Farrell replied, “Guilty as charged. But Brendan Gleeson f—ing gave it to me! So I was just spreading the love.”
Worst Absence: So Many Winners
We know an actor’s schedule is very busy, but there were multiple awards handed out where the main stars weren’t present to accept. Although she won Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series thanks to her role in Hacks, Smart was not in attendance because she was filming another project.
In addition, when Only Murders in the Building won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, Short and Steve Martin weren’t present.
“Marty and Steve aren’t here because they don’t really care, but I don’t know what to say,” Gomez said in her speech. “Thank you Marty and Steve for helping raise me.”
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