Everything That Happened Inside the 2026 Critics Choice Awards

The Critics Choice Awards kicked off the 2026 awards season with a bang. On Sunday evening, a star-studded crowd braved the rain and gathered at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica to celebrate standout achievements in film and television. Sinners and Frankenstein 
garnered the most wins in the film categories, both taking home four trophies each. On the TV front, Adolescence received four awards while The Pitt and The Studio followed closely behind, each nabbing three awards.

It was notably a big night for Timothée Chalamet, who won Best Actor for his role in the table tennis flick Marty Supreme. After acknowledging his fellow nominees, he brought the house down by thanking Kylie Jenner, who accompanied him to the ceremony in vintage Versace. “Thank you to my partner of three years. Thank you for our foundation—I love you. I couldn’t do this without you,” he said. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” As the camera panned to Jenner, she mouthed back, “I love you too.” Throughout the ceremony, the couple held hands and had animated conversations with Marty Supreme director Josh Safdie. During commercial breaks, throngs of guests approached him for selfies, including Adolescence’s breakthrough Owen Cooper who won Best Supporting Actor in his own category.

Just a few tables over sat Leonardo DiCaprio, who barely made it to the ceremony after getting stuck in St. Barths—where he rung in the New Year—due to airport closures in the Caribbean amid Trump’s invasion of Venezuela. (The One Battle After Another star had to miss the Palm Springs International Film Festival on Saturday evening.) Host Chelsea Handler even poked fun at his close call during her opening monologue: “Leo almost didn’t make it tonight because he was trapped on a boat in St. Barths,” she said. “It was just like Titanic, but worse because Jeff Bezos was there.” DiCaprio took it on the chin and chuckled at the joke. During the ceremony, he caught up with co-stars Benicio del Toro and Chase Infiniti and later on, joined cast mates and director Paul Thomas Anderson on the stage to accept the Best Picture prize.

Hamnet’s Jessie Buckley won Best Actress and got the crowd laughing by thanking her co-star and fellow Ireland native, Paul Mescal. “Paul: I bloody love you man. I know loads of other women do in this room too, but tough shit,” she said. “I could drink you like water working with you every single day. You’re a giant of the heart and thank you so much for making me a little bit more human.”

On the red carpet front, Hacks’ Paul W. Downs and Megan Stalter made an unforgettable entrance by arriving in matching bright orange—mimicking the custom Chrome Hearts looks worn by Chalamet and Jenner at the Los Angeles premiere of Marty Supreme. “We didn’t realize Timothée and Kylie had worn this already,” Downs told Vogue, wryly. “We’ve been shooting Hacks season five and been so busy so we told our stylist to pull something. I guess orange is of the moment and we just happened to wear it.” All jokes aside, the comics said they just wanted to have a laugh: “Honestly, we thought referencing them would make a splash—award shows need more fun.” And Downs added that it received a thumbs up from the actor. “His publicist took a photo of us and texted it to him. Timothée texted back saying, ‘Incredible!’ So, he liked it.”

Another unexpected fashion moment came courtesy of Alexander Skarsgård, who was nominated for Best Actor in the comedy series category for his performance in Apple’s Murderbot. Working with stylist Harry Lambert, the red carpet risk taker donned a classic black Valentino suit—but added white bow ties to his wrists. “My red carpet motto is insanity,” he joked. “I like to be playful, try different things, and wear things that feel fun and exciting. Lately, I’ve been traveling a lot for Pillion, the BDSM movie, so I’ve been inspired by that world and making sartorial choices inspired by that. Why not have a bit of fun with it? That’s my thinking.” Since delving into the world of method dressing, Skarsgård couldn’t care less what people think. “I never Google myself and I don’t read reviews or comments on myself or my acting. I would get insecure about that as it gets to my head. What keeps me somewhat sane is that I never look back. It’s the same with my work. I’ll do it and hopefully I’ll have a great time doing it, and I move on to the next.”

New face François Arnaud from HBO Max’s steamy series Heated Rivalry made his Critics Choice Awards debut to present the award for Best Actress in a limited series or movie made for television, which went to All Her Fault’s Sarah Snook. All night, attendees were clamoring to meet the Canadian actor. Handler also gave a shout out to the temperature-raising hockey show in her, which prompted cheers and applause. “Everyone loves it. Gay men love it. Women love it,” she said. “And straight men who say they aren’t gay, but work out at Equinox, love it.”

“I’m still in shock—it’s been insane and overwhelming,” Arnaud told Vogue of the show’s success. “As with any other role, I just try to embody it fully and commit to it. It came as a surprise that people were so deeply moved by it but the response has been really exciting and respectful and lovely. I can still go outside, but I’m a little bit more careful about what I’m wearing and my hair because I have to be picture ready,” he laughed. “I usually go out in my sweatpants, so there’s no more of that. The scrutiny has been a bit intense. But to be a part of something that people connect with so deeply, I’m not going to complain. I’m really grateful.”

During the ceremony, guests went wild for cinnamon bites from Wetzel’s‚ particularly Chase Infiniti and Paul Mescal who were spotted indulging in the sweet, sticky buns. Ariana Grande reunited with Wicked: For Good director Jon M. Chu and co-star Jeff Goldblum as she chatted with Noah Wyle, who won Best Actor in a drama series for The Pitt. Across the room, Sinner’s Michael Jordan held court with his mom, while Adam Sandler shared a hug with Paul Thomas Anderson, his director in the 2002 drama Punch-Drunk Love. As the show ended, Jacob Elordi, clutching his Best Supporting Actor award for his role as the Creature in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, made his way to the exit with a big smile. “I honestly wasn’t expecting this,” he said of receiving his first major acting prize. “It’s a surprise and I will forever be grateful. It’s been a great night!”

This article was originally published on Vogue.com.