NEED TO KNOW
- Chelsea Handler gave her opening monologue on the thirty first annual Critics Alternative Awards on Sunday, Jan. 4
- The comic, 50, roasted actor Leonardo DiCaprio for not too long ago vacationing with Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos
- That is Handler’s fourth time in a row internet hosting the award ceremony, which befell dwell from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif.
Chelsea Handler took playful purpose at Leonardo DiCaprio throughout her Critics Alternative Awards 2026 opening monologue.
“Leo’s right here,” she mentioned, whereas motioning to DiCaprio, 51, who was seated within the viewers. The actor is nominated for his efficiency in One Battle After One other.
“Thank God. Leo nearly did not make it tonight as a result of he was trapped on a ship in St. Bart’s. It was similar to the Titanic, however worse, as a result of Jeff Bezos was there,” she added, evoking loud laughter from the viewers.
The jab was in reference to the truth that the actor was not too long ago unable to depart St. Bart’s — the place he was photographed on trip with celeb pals, together with the billionaire — as a consequence of air restrictions within the Caribbean following the current U.S.-Venezuela battle. He in the end missed an awards ceremony on the Palm Springs Worldwide Movie Pageant, the place he was set to obtain the Desert Palm Achievement Award for his efficiency in his most up-to-date film, One Battle After One other.
That is the fourth yr in a row that the comic, 50, has hosted the annual ceremony, which was broadcast dwell on Sunday, Jan. 4 from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif.
This yr’s ceremony kicked off awards season with the Critics Alternative Affiliation highlighting the most effective motion pictures and TV reveals of the previous yr. High nominees included Sinners, which led in movie with a complete of 17 nominations, together with Netflix’s Adolescence topping the TV classes with six complete nods.
4 new classes have additionally been added this yr: Finest Selection Collection, Finest Stunt Design, Finest Casting and Ensemble, and Finest Sound.
The 2026 occasion comes lower than a yr after the 2025 Critics Alternative Awards have been postponed two occasions because of the devastating Los Angeles fires that started on Jan. 7, 2025. The ceremony formally befell on Friday, Feb. 7, precisely one month later.
At the beginning of that present, Handler and the star-studded viewers supplied a standing ovation to firefighters who have been in attendance that evening in honor of their heroic acts preventing fires that left a number of residents useless and a number of other hundred displaced throughout L.A. county.
“I do know I converse for all of us once I say what we noticed and the scope of loss has been nearly inconceivable to think about,” Handler mentioned on the time, revealing that the published can be displaying a QR code that viewers may use to donate to these impacted by the fires.
“My hope for tonight is to take our time right here collectively, and use it to remind one another and everybody watching of the resilience and willpower that’s inside all of us after we come collectively as a group, with an enormous debt of gratitude to our honored company tonight, the firefighters, Crimson Cross and Habitat for Humanity volunteers,” the Chelsea Currently alum added. “And so many extra – that is precisely what we’ll do.”
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See ipromiseyoumedia’s full protection of the 31th annual Critics Alternative Awards as they’re broadcasting dwell on E! and USA Community at 7 p.m. ET from Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. The present may also be obtainable to stream the next day on Peacock.
