Comedy icon Chelsea Handler was the host of The 31st Critics Choice Awards, which took place last night, and as expected, she had her opening monologue. Handler followed the formula of adding some humor and making most attendees laugh, but she also used the opportunity to share a heartfelt message about Rob and Michele Reiner.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Handler delivered the monologue on the stage set up at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, where the ceremony took place. She talked about the late Hollywood director and his wife, who were found dead in their L.A. home weeks ago.
“Everyone in this room knows that the nicest guy in Hollywood was Rob Reiner. Anyone who ever spent time with Rob Reiner knows that the minute that you met him, he felt like an old friend. When you were in a conversation with him, he was present, he was focused, and he was funny.
“I think we can all agree that we definitely need more of that, so let’s use tonight as a reminder of that decency and as a reminder of everything Rob and Michele represented and fought so hard for.”
Handler also made sure to add some edge to her monologue, saying things like, “You guys are all going to be spending the next three months together, so whoever wins tonight, get used to seeing them win.” The horror film Sinners was the basis of a couple of awkward jokes that had different reactions from the audience (she referred to Nicki Minaj’s political views, and David Zaslav’s role managing Warner Bros.):
“Sinners was a massive blockbuster. Although I haven’t been invited into a black person’s house since, except Nicki Minaj’s, but who wants to go over there?
“Sinners is the story of brothers who start this really fun place for entertainment and then vampires show up, suck the life out of everybody and burn it all to the ground. Fun fact, the original name of the main vampire was David Zaslav.”
She also used the opportunity to roast One Battle After Another star Leonardo DiCaprio, saying, “Leo almost didn’t make it tonight because he was trapped on a boat in St. Bart’s. It was just like the Titanic, but worse because Jeff Bezos was there.” DiCaprio was seen laughing at the joke.
The Big Winners at the Critics Choice Awards
Last night, the industry witnessed one of the first award ceremonies of the year, and definitely one that offers an early look at what’s coming in the awards season of 2026. The Critics Choice Awards are presented by the Critics Choice Association (CCA), whose members
recognize the best in the fields of film and television every year. In this year’s ceremony, there were a few notable winners, aside from host Chelsea Handler, who used her wit all night to keep things fresh and funny.
In the television categories, the big winners of the night were Adolescence, The Pitt, and The Studio. Adolescence took home the Critics Choice for Best Limited Series, as well as Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. The Pitt won Best Drama Series, and also Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress. The Studio was the recipient of the awards for Best Comedy, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor.
When it came to film, One Battle After Another won the awards for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture. The horror film Sinners took the awards for Best Original Screenplay, Best Young Actor/Actress, Best Casting and Ensemble, and Best Score. One of the surprising wins was Amy Madigan as Best Supporting Actress for the film Weapons, winning over favorites like Wicked: For Good‘s Ariana Grande and Sinners‘ Wunmi Mosaku.
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