The Peabody Awards board announced nominees on April 9 for its 86th annual edition, recognizing programs in arts, children's, entertainment, and interactive categories. Standouts include the TV series Heated Rivalry about gay hockey players, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and documentaries on musicians Sly Stone and Fela Kuti. Winners will be revealed on April 23, with a ceremony set for May 31 in Beverly Hills.
A panel of 28 jurors unanimously selected the nominees from over 1,000 entries across television, podcasts, radio, and the web. Jeffrey Jones, executive director of the Peabody Awards, stated, “These nominees showcase the power of storytelling at its most urgent and expansive, where art, entertainment, and innovation collide with the defining issues of our time.” The selection highlights themes like identity, mental health, political extremism, and systemic inequality, according to Jones. Heated Rivalry, which follows the secret romance between rival hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov over eight years, previously won outstanding new TV series at the GLAAD Media Awards on March 5. Jimmy Kimmel Live! earned nods after a brief suspension last September over a remark about conservative activist Charlie Kirk; the ABC late-night show holds 14 straight Primetime Emmy nominations without a win. Other entertainment nominees feature The Pitt on emergency room struggles, Dying for Sex starring Michelle Williams as a woman with terminal cancer, and Netflix's FOREVER, an adaptation of Judy Blume's novel about Black teen athletes facing ambition and mental health issues. In arts, Sly Lives! (Hulu) examines Sly Stone and Sly & the Family Stone's legacy amid pressures on Black artists, while the podcast Fela Kuti: Fear No Man details the Nigerian musician's activism through over 200 interviews. The ceremony will occur at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, honoring Amy Poehler with a Career Achievement Award, Sterlin Harjo as Trailblazer, James L. Brooks as Industry Icon, and PBS KIDS institutionally.
