They say nobody likes a critic, but everyone sure seemed to have a good time at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards. On February 7, the biggest names in Hollywood met up the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica to celebrate this year’s strongest achievements in film and television, as awarded by the Critics Choice Association and hosted by Chelsea Handler.
Although the ceremony was broadcast live on E! and was available to stream online, the awards show does not score the same viewership numbers as the Golden Globes, Emmys, or Academy Awards. That didn’t stop stars from showing up in some of the best red carpet looks of the year, between Demi Moore‘s sculptural Schiaparelli gown and Ariana Grande‘s couture Dior cage dress that reportedly took 3,800 hours to make.
Clearly, the stars did not come to play…at least when it came to fashion. Perhaps the lower-pressure environment inspired some of the most unserious and unexpected moments of the night. From Chelsea Handler’s joke about the It Ends With Us lawsuits to Adam Brody’s emotional tribute to Leighton Meester, here are some of the most memorable moments of the night.
Chelsea Handler thanks Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in her monologue
While Golden Globes host Nikki Glaser purposefully left the It Ends With Us lawsuits out of her opening monologue, Chelsea Handler decided to wade right into the controversy. “I want to acknowledge that we’ve been through a lot lately, not just here in Los Angeles, but our entire country,” Handler said in her opening monologue, per People. “Waking up every day not knowing what news we’re going to hear that will disappoint or horrify us.”
She continued, “So it is 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. I think we’re all grateful. And I think we’re good. I think everybody in this room, no matter whose side you’re on, we can all agree to accept that there’s probably not going to be a sequel.”
Handler closed out the bit by adding, “It ends with us, guys.”
Neither Baldoni nor Lively attended the event, though Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds’ movie Deadpool & Wolverine was nominated for best comedy. He also skipped the ceremony, but thanked the CCA for the project’s joint victory alongside Jessie Eisenberg’s A Real Pain in an Instagram post.
Later on in the ceremony, Handler also offered her services as an intimacy coordinated to the cast of Wicked while standing right between Grande and her boyfriend Ethan Slater.
Kate Hudson got the last word on the red carpet
Though there was no pre-show broadcast, the stars still had to get their pictures taken. During the red carpet, Kate Hudson posed in a gorgeous open-back gown by Thom Browne—but not everyone understood the vision. “Kate, your tag is coming out,” a member of the paparazzi can be heard shouting in an Instagram Reel posted by E!
“It’s supposed to do that!” Hudson responded with smirk, adding, “It’s Thom Browne.”
Adam Brody and Leighton Meester make their own rom-com moment
It was a big night for Adam Brody, who took home for best actor in a comedy series for his role in Nobody Wants This. He thanked his “darling, darling, darling wife” Leighton Meester in his acceptance speech, saying, “Thank you for sharing this life with me, and this journey with me. Thank you for our family. [I] love you with all my heart.”
After his speech, the couple were seen sharing a rom-com worthy kiss in a video shared by The Hollywood Reporter.
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Demi Moore mentions Karla Sofía Gascón’s absense
While accepting the award for best actress for her performance in The Substance, Demi Moore gave a shoutout to all her fellow nominees, including Karla Sofía Gascón, who was noticeably absent amid backlash over past derogatory tweets about Muslims and other marginalized groups.
“I just want to say the very recognition, not just for me, but for what this film is about, what it’s trying to convey, your acknowledgement is almost like the elixir. It is the healing balm to the very issue the film brings forward,” Moore said in her speech. “And I am so grateful not just for my performance, but that you have highlighted this film, this genre. Normally horror films are overlooked and not seen for the profundity that they can hold.”
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After thanking The Substance director Coralie Fargeat and her costar Margaret Qualley, Moore addressed her fellow nominees, Cynthia Erivo, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Angelina Jolie, Mikey Madison, and Gascón, whom she noted was not in the room.
“To the other women this category: Cynthia, Karla, who I know is not here, and Marianne, Angelina, Mikey,” she began. “This has been the greatest gift of this whole process, is getting to spend time getting to know you and to share in your stories.”
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Kathy Bates has a strong reaction to her CCA win
The Matlock star was so shocked by her win for best actress in a drama series that she appeared to respond, “Fuck. Fuck. No, no, no.”
Jon M. Chu jokes about his Oscar snub
While presenting the award for best director, Orlando Bloom noted that the Critcs Choice winner often goes on to win the Oscar as well. That will not be the case this year, as Wicked director Jon M. Chu scored the Critics Choice Award for best director after being left out of the same category by the Academy. Even so, Chu joked about the snub in his acceptance speech, shouting, “I’m going to win that Oscar!”
Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were seen cheering loudly for the director as he took the stage and were later captured celebrating his win with the rest of the table.
Michael Urie and Hannah Einbinder’s joint speech
Shrinking star Michael Urie and Hacks star Hannah Einbinder delivered the most chaotic bit of the night after being awarded best supporting actor and best supporting actress in a comedy series at the same time. Though they were instructed to take the stage together, the comedians took things further, talking over each other as they thanked their teams and loved ones.
The best part of their overlapping speeches, however, was when they both clearly declared, “Trans lives matter.”
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