Comedian Chelsea Handler kicked off the 2026 Critics Choice Awards with a series of pointed jokes, targeting Leonardo DiCaprio's recent yacht mishap and other industry figures. The event, held at Santa Monica's Barker Hangar on January 4, set the tone for awards season amid high-profile nominations. Handler's monologue highlighted both film and television contenders while delivering sharp humor.
Chelsea Handler hosted the 2026 Critics Choice Awards on January 4 at Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar, opening with a monologue that roasted several prominent figures in Hollywood. She began by targeting Leonardo DiCaprio, a nominee for his role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” which earned 14 nominations, including best picture contention.
“Leo almost didn’t make it tonight because he was trapped on a boat in St. Barts,” Handler quipped, drawing laughter from DiCaprio in the audience. “It was just like the ‘Titanic,’ but worse, because Jeff Bezos was there.” The joke referenced reports from the previous week, when DiCaprio and his girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti were spotted on a superyacht with Bezos and Lauren Sánchez in St. Barts. DiCaprio attended the awards but missed the prior night’s Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala due to FAA air traffic control issues stemming from an attack on Venezuela.
Handler continued with jabs at television, issuing a spoiler alert for Paramount+’s “Landman.” “Billy Bob Thornton went full frontal,” she said. “Taylor Sheridan said it was nice to have a dick on set that wasn’t Kevin Costner.” She then turned to Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” the film leading with 17 nominations. Describing its plot, Handler analogized: “‘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.” She added, “Fun fact, the original name of the main vampire was David Zaslav,” taking a swing at Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav.
In television categories, Netflix’s “Adolescence” topped with six nominations, followed by “Nobody Wants This” with five. Other shows like “The Pitt,” “All Her Fault,” “Severance,” “The Diplomat,” “Ghosts,” and “Death by Lightning” each received four. The event marks the first major awards of 2026, influencing the season’s trajectory.
