Chelsea Handler delivered a roast of A-list stars during her opening monologue at the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards, held at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on Friday.
The comedian, 49, took aim at Blake Lively, 37, and Justin Baldoni‘s, 41, ongoing legal battle, before poking fun of Nicole Kidman‘s Babygirl sex scenes and teasing Ariana Grande for ‘dating a munchkin’ during the star-studded show.
Chelsea, who introduced herself as ‘your DEI host’, started by roasting It Ends With Us stars Blake and Justin, who were not present, as she thanked them for providing the country with a ‘distraction.’
‘Waking up every day not knowing what news we are going to hear that will disappoint or horrify us, it is so important in times like these to have a distraction, and that’s why I want to personally extend my gratitude to Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively. Thank you for providing us with that distraction. I’m grateful, we’re all grateful.’
‘I think everybody in this room, no matter whose side you’re on, we can all agree to accept that there’s probably not gonna be a sequel,’ she joked.
‘It ends with us, guys,’ Chelsea, who hosted the show for the third time, humorously added.
Chelsea Handler, 49, delivered a roast of A-list stars during her opening monologue at the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards, held at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on Friday
The It Ends With Us stars’ showdown has completely captivated the globe and has even now erupted into a massive legal battle involving multiple lawsuits and a slew of shocking claims, including accusations of sexual harassment.
The former E! late night talk show host went on to rib Ariana, 31, and her relationship with Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, 32, making a pun at the 5′ 7″ actor’s role in the movie as well as his height.
She told the crowd: ‘It’s nice to see some of our most beloved child stars grown up and thriving. Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande are all nominated tonight. ‘
‘And now Ariana has even found love with a munchkin,’ she added in regards to Slater, who plays a Munchkin named Boq in the 2024 film adaptation of the musical Wicked.
After hearing the crowd’s surprised reaction, she said: ‘That’s good news, everybody.’
She went on: ‘It wasn’t just the young actresses. We had a 95-year-old female action star, June Squibb. How cool is that?’
‘From Ariana to June, to succeed this year, you had to either survive Nickelodeon or World War II.’
‘I saw that documentary and Nickelodeon looked harder,’ she quipped.
She also joked about Ariana and her co-star Cynthia Erivo’s emotional Wicked press tour, telling the crowd, ‘I loved the Wicked press tour, the two of them were all over each other,’ before adding, ‘I remember the first time I did molly.’
The comedian took aim at Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s ongoing legal battle, before poking fun of Nicole Kidman’s Babygirl sex scenes and teasing Ariana Grande for ‘dating a munchkin’
‘I think everybody in this room, no matter whose side you’re on, we can all agree to accept that there’s probably not gonna be a sequel,’ she joked about Blake and Justin’s movie, It Ends With Us; the two stars seen on set in 2024
‘It ends with us, guys,’ Chelsea, who hosted the show for the third time, humorously added
Chelsea went on to rib Ariana and her relationship with Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, making a pun at the 5′ 7″ actor’s role in the movie as well as his height
‘It’s nice to see some of our most beloved child stars grown up and thriving. Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande are all nominated tonight,’ she said; Ariana and Ethan pictured inside
‘And now Ariana has even found love with a munchkin,’ she added in regards to Slater, who plays a Munchkin named Boq in the 2024 film adaptation of the musical Wicked
Chelsea then poked fun of Nicole’s steamy sex scenes in Babygirl. ‘There were so many incredible musical performances: Nicole Kidman in Babygirl face down in a carpet,’ she joked
‘Okay, technically Babygirl wasn’t a musical, but she definitely hit a few notes I’ve never heard before,’ Chelsea added
Nicole was pictured burying her head in her hands after the joke
Chelsea then poked fun of Nicole’s steamy sex scenes in Babygirl.
‘There were so many incredible musical performances: Zoe Saldana in Emilia Perez, that was beautiful, Sing Sing, which is not a musical but I thought it would be. Nicole Kidman in Babygirl face down in a carpet.’
‘Okay, technically Babygirl wasn’t a musical, but she definitely hit a few notes I’ve never heard before.’
Nicole was pictured burying her head in her hands after the joke.
Chelsea also made a hilarious comment about Hollywood legend Ralph Fiennes, after she mentioned his film Conclave, where he stars as Cardinal Lawrence.
‘Ralph Fiennes, don’t think I’m not gonna talk about you. You’ve played a ruthless Nazi, evil Lord Voldemort, and now a celibate Cardinal, and somehow made me want to have sex with you in all three movies,’ she quipped as the camera panned to Ralph, who was pictured laughing.
Chelsea went on: ‘I am not alone. You’ve made some truly unsexy people, very sexy. I’m begging you, please never play Vladimir Putin. I can’t do that again.’
‘And my other big takeaway from Conclave you Vatican b*****s really love to gossip.’
Later in her opener Chelsea joked about first lady Melania Trump.
‘Musicals weren’t the only incredible films this year, we also had movies for straight people. It was a huge year for biopics. A Complete Unknown about Bob Dylan. Maria about Maria Callas. And Anora about Melania Trump.’
Chelsea also made a hilarious comment about Hollywood legend Ralph Fiennes, after she mentioned his film Conclave, where he stars as Cardinal Lawrence
‘You’ve played a ruthless Nazi, evil Lord Voldemort, and now a celibate Cardinal, and somehow made me want to have sex with you in all three movies,’ she quipped
Chelsea went on: ‘I am not alone. You’ve made some truly unsexy people, very sexy. I’m begging you, please never play Vladimir Putin. I can’t do that again’
Another star who received a mention in her opening monologue was Irish heartthrob Colin Farrell, whose HBO series The Penguin is nominated in a number of categories
‘Colin spent four hours every day transforming into the Penguin. So I guess now we know how long it takes to make Colin Farrell unf***able. Honestly, I’d still hit those flippers,’ she joked, as the camera caught Colin’s surprised reaction
Anora is a comedy-drama film that follows the story of a young woman named Anora (played by Mikey Madison) who works as a stripper in Brooklyn, before meeting and marrying the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch.
Chelsea then quipped that Janelle James’ character from the show Abbott Elementary is ‘so incompetent’ that she was surprised Janelle ‘hasn’t been tapped to run the real department of education.’
Chelsea then teased Kristen Bell, the star of Netflix series Nobody Wants This.
‘Hollywood was on the vanguard of social justice this year,’ she said, adding, ‘Netflix fought back against the rising tide of anti-semitism by having Kristen Bell get penetrated by a sexy rabbi.’
Another star who received a mention in her opening monologue was Irish heartthrob Colin Farrell, whose HBO series The Penguin is nominated in a number of categories.
‘While we talk about incredible TV, I would be remiss to not mention Colin Farrell. Colin spent four hours every day transforming into the Penguin. So I guess now we know how long it takes to make Colin Farrell unf***able.’
‘Honestly, I’d still hit those flippers,’ she joked, as the camera caught Colin’s surprised reaction.
Demi Moore was also mentioned, as Chelsea told the crowd: ‘I want you to know that you are in good hands. If there’s one thing I can assure you, it’s that I’m very professional when it comes to having a good time. I’ve been doing it for as long as Demi Moore has been acting and I, too, hope to receive an award for it finally.’
Chelsea also touched on her former stint as late night host: ‘I spent seven years on this network, I was the only woman hosting a late-night show. Now 11 years later, look how far we’ve come. In 2025, the easiest way for a woman to get a late-night show is to get the creators of Hacks to write a fictional story about it.’
She capped off her segment with a joke about actress Cheryl Hines and her husband Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent Senate hearings.
‘On a less personal note and in the spirit of making tonight a celebration, I want you all to know that you’re in good hands. Some of you will win. Some of you will lose. Some of you will be in the background questioning your life choices like Cheryl Hines at a Senate confirmation hearing.’
Chelsea then teased Kristen Bell, the star of Netflix series Nobody Wants This, telling the audience: ‘Netflix fought back against the rising tide of anti-semitism by having Kristen Bell get penetrated by a sexy rabbi’
Chelsea then quipped that Janelle James’ character from the show Abbott Elementary is ‘so incompetent’ that she was surprised Janelle ‘hasn’t been tapped to run the real department of education’
Fans took online following the opener to share their reactions.
‘chelsea never holds back love her energy at award shows!’ one wrote.
Speaking of the Justin and Blake drama, one wrote, ‘ouch, still a little too fresh for that.’
Another added, ‘Seriously, let’s let it end with us.’
‘CHELSEA MAKING JOKES ABOUT ARIANA AND CYNTHIA BEING ALL OVER EACH OTHER AND #him BEING A MUNCHKIN OHHHHH.’
‘NOT CHELSEA HANDLER CALLING OUT ARIANA FOR ETHAN??? SHE WENT THERE.’
Anora was the shock upset winner of Best Picture at the ceremony.
It’s surprise win followed Demi Moore’s triumph in the Best Actress category for her body-horror film The Substance and Adrien Brody in the Best Actor category for the acclaimed historical epic The Brutalist.
The verité-style comedy Anora stars Mikey Madison as an adult dancer who impetuously marries the son of a Russian oligarch, only to have his handlers go to shocking ends to annul the marriage.
Fans took online following the opener to share their reactions
Speaking of the Justin and Blake drama, one wrote, ‘ouch, still a little too fresh for that’
Another added, ‘Seriously, let’s let it end with us’
CHELSEA MAKING JOKES ABOUT ARIANA AND CYNTHIA BEING ALL OVER EACH OTHER AND #him BEING A MUNCHKIN OHHHHH’
‘NOT CHELSEA HANDLER CALLING OUT ARIANA FOR ETHAN??? SHE WENT THERE’
She and writer, director and editor Sean Baker lost out on earlier awards before their film was ultimately triumphant.
In his emotional acceptance speech, Baker pointed out that his ‘micro-budget’ film cost only $6 million to make, and he thanked everyone who saw it in theaters after the industry was decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Before Anora’s win, presenter Sacha Baron Cohen joked that one of the Best Picture nominees’ scripts landed on his desk, but he never read it because it ‘sounded a bit boring.’
‘I’m not gonna name it, because that would be unprofessional and really disrespectful to Adrien Brody,’ he continued, which got a laugh out Brody in the audience.
The star, who had just won his acting award, could be seen calling Cohen a ‘motherf***er.’
Cohen set up a bigger shock when he continued the joke.
‘And the winner for Best Picture… Adrien Brody is — not you!’ he shouted as he announced Anora.
Moore emerged triumphant at the age of 62 when she won Best Actress for her satirical body-horror film The Substance.
‘This has been such a wild ride,’she gushed as she took to the stage.
Demi praised critics for giving her the award, which she said was a ‘healing balm to the very issue the film brings forward.’
Demi Moore emerged triumphant at the age of 62 when she won Best Actress for her satirical body-horror film The Substance
‘This has been such a wild ride,’she gushed as she took to the stage
She said the award was a ‘healing balm to the very issue the film brings forward.’ She plays an aging star who turns to The Substance to let her share a younger body to regain her A-list status — but there are stomach-churning side effects; seen in a still from The Substance
Adrien Brody cemented his Oscars-frontrunner status after winning Best Actor for The Brutalist
Anora was the upset winner of Best Picture. Director Sean Baker (center left) accepted the award with its star Mikey Madison (R) supporting him. He noted that the ‘micro-budget’ film cost only $6M — also pictured: star Vache Tovmasyan (L) and Alex Coco (center right)
She stars in The Substance as a former Oscar winner and now the host of a popular aerobics TV show who is unceremoniously fired once she turns 50 by a piggish network executive (Dennis Quaid).
She learns of the eponymous Substance, which allows her to share the body of a younger woman (Margaret Qualley) to regain her throne, but the concoction has some stomach-churning effects on both of their bodies once they start a tug of war over who will stand in the spotlight.
Adrien Brody also cemented his Oscars-frontrunner status after winning Best Actor for The Brutalist, and Zoe Saldaña shocked viewers and awards season observers earlier when she won Best Supporting Actress for her embattled Netflix film Emilia Pérez.
Brody praised critics for making his ‘very small, epic film very visible and accessible to people.’
Saldaña’s win was particularly surprising as it comes after the discovery of racist and Islamophobic tweets from Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón threatened to derail the film’s awards hopes.
Jon M. Chu also won Best Director for Wicked, which significantly increased his odds of winning at the Academy Awards.
Saldaña, 46, was in tears as she delivered a moving speech.
She shared thanks for French director Jacques Audiard and the ‘cast and grew’ generally, without breathing Gascón’s name.
Zoe jokingly referenced criticism she has received in the past, including that she is in ‘too many franchises,’ and that the Avatar and Guardians Of The Galaxy star is ‘too blue.’
‘Whenever you receive a negative criticism for a role or a film, everyone says, don’t read the reviews,’ she continued. ‘Then when you get the positive feedback, everyone says, did you read the reviews?’
The show got off to a strong start when Conclave earned the first award of the evening for Best Ensemble.
Fiennes, accepted the award for the film, which depicts the secretive and suspenseful selection of a new pope.
Zoe Saldaña, 46, shocked viewers and awards season observers when she won Best Supporting Actress for her embattled Netflix film Emilia Pérez at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards on Friday
Conclave earned the first award of the evening for Best Ensemble, with its lead Ralph Fiennes accepting
The early win cements the Oscars momentum for Conclave and Fiennes; pictured in a still from the film
‘We all enjoyed being in our red skirts together,’ Fiennes joked while representing his costars, including Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow.
The win has helped cement the late-breaking Oscars momentum for Fiennes and Conclave.
The Critics Choice Awards, hosted by Chelsea Handler, are finally taking place at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, after twice being delayed due to the devastating LA fires.
The show was first slated to take place on Sunday, January 12, before being pushed to Sunday, January 26.
But due to the venue’s close proximity to the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades, ceremony officials decided to push the show to February.
Following Conclave’s win, the ceremony switched to television.
Hannah Einbinder and Michael Urie were the dual winners in the best supporting actor and actress in a comedy categories, for Hacks and Shrinking, respectively.
Liev Schreiber won in the men’s category for The Perfect Couple, while Jessica Gunning was awarded for her acclaimed performance in the buzzy series Baby Reindeer.
Farrell continued to steamroll the competition when he won for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for his performance in The Penguin
Farrell showed off his inescapable charm as he joked about again thanking the show’s makeup department ‘for reasons that are beyond me.’ Then he called out Kathy Bates so they could party later
Adam Brody won for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. He stars in Nobody Wants This as a rabbi who strikes up a relationship with a podcaster (Bell) who hosts a sex and dating podcast
Brody included a sweet shoutout to his wife, Leighton Meester
Shōgun scored two back-to-back wins with supporting actor and supporting actress in a drama series for Tadanobu Asano and Moeka Hoshi.
The ceremony then changed pace with the best animated feature award, which went to the acclaimed film The Wild Robot.
Farrell continued to steamroll the competition when he won for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for his performance in The Penguin.
Farrell was made unrecognizable by heavy layers of prosthetics to allow him to play the Batman villain, whose name was shortened to Oz Cobb for the series.
He originated this version of the role in the blockbuster film The Batman, which starred Robert Pattinson as the title superhero.
Colin’s Penguin costar Cristin Milioti road up to the stage on the same wave of momentum for the DC Comics series, which aired on Max, after winning Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television.
But The Penguin’s winning streak was extinguished with the next award for Best Limited Series.
It went to Netflix’s hit Baby Reindeer, and Best Actress winner Jessica Gunning returned to the stage to accept.
The next television award went to Adam Brody for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.
Hannah Einbinder and Michael Urie were the dual winners in the best supporting actor and actress in a comedy categories, for Hacks and Shrinking, respectively. They gave hilarious acceptance speeches while initially speaking simultaneously
Liev Schreiber won in the men’s category for The Perfect Couple, while Jessica Gunning was awarded for her acclaimed performance in the buzzy series Baby Reindeer
Shōgun scored two back-to-back wins with supporting actor and supporting actress in a drama series for Tadanobu Asano and Moeka Hoshi (pictured). Hoshi shared her thoughts with LA after its devastating fires
He stars in Nobody Wants This as a rabbi who strikes up a relationship with a podcaster (Kristen Bell) who hosts a sex and dating podcast.
Brody included a sweet shoutout to his wife, Leighton Meester.
Jean Smart followed him up with a win for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her hit HBO Max series Hacks.
Kieran Culkin managed to come out on top of the competitive crowd for his role in A Real Pain.
The Best Actress in a Drama Series winner was the legendary Kathy Bates, who won for her gender-swapped remake of Matlock.
Emilia Pérez delivered another surprising win despite its ongoing controversy thanks to star Karla Sofía Gascón’s offensive tweets when it won the Best Foreign Language Film award.
Notably, ballots for the ceremony were apparently due weeks before the offensive posts were widely reported, so that knowledge may still affect the Netflix film’s chances for the Academy Awards, as voting has not yet concluded for that show.
Director Jacques Audiard delivered the film’s acceptance speech in French, his native tongue, with an interpreter reading a pre-translated version of his speech, which he said was only one of several for different awards.