Handler Honors Late Director Rob Reiner at Critics Choice Awards
The comedian balanced laughs with a moving tribute during her hosting duties at the 31st annual ceremony, while major films and TV shows claimed top honors.
Comedian Chelsea Handler took the stage at Santa Monica's Barker Hangar to host the 31st Critics Choice Awards, mixing her signature wit with a touching remembrance of Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, who died at their Los Angeles home weeks earlier.
Standing before the industry crowd, Handler shared personal reflections about the beloved filmmaker. "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 continued.
Sharp Comedy Targets Industry Figures
The host didn't shy away from edgier material throughout the evening. She warned the audience about the upcoming awards season: "You guys are all going to be spending the next three months together, so whoever wins tonight, get used to seeing them win."
Handler took aim at the horror hit Sinners with pointed jokes that drew mixed reactions. "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?"
She continued the Sinners theme with a dig at Warner Bros. leadership: "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."
Leonardo DiCaprio became another target when Handler joked: "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." The actor was spotted laughing at the roast.
Television Categories See Multiple Winners
The Critics Choice Association handed out awards across film and television categories, offering early signals for the 2026 awards season. Television dominated much of the evening's biggest moments.
Adolescence swept several major categories, claiming Best Limited Series along with acting honors for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. The medical drama The Pitt secured Best Drama Series plus Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress wins.
Comedy series The Studio rounded out television's big night with victories for Best Comedy, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor.
Film Awards Spread Across Multiple Productions
Movie categories saw wins distributed among several productions. One Battle After Another claimed the night's most prestigious film honors with Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
The horror film Sinners, despite being Handler's comedic target, earned recognition in four categories: Best Original Screenplay, Best Young Actor/Actress, Best Casting and Ensemble, and Best Score.
Amy Madigan delivered one of the evening's surprises, winning Best Supporting Actress for Weapons. Her victory came over heavily favored contenders including Ariana Grande from Wicked: For Good and Wunmi Mosaku from Sinners.