The Moment
The 2026 Critics Choice Awards didn’t just kick off awards season – they basically turned Barker Hangar in Santa Monica into a very glamorous group chat.
According to photo coverage from the show, A-listers including Ariana Grande, Timothee Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, and Leonardo DiCaprio all braved a rainy Los Angeles Sunday night to show up for the ceremony.
On camera, viewers saw the big beats: a tribute to Rob and Michele Reiner after a recent family tragedy, and Chalamet shouting out girlfriend Kylie during his acceptance speech for “Marty Supreme”, as noted in the event recap. But the real story was in the blink-and-you-missed-it moments at the tables and backstage.
Timothée Chalamet Loves Kylie, KPop Demon Hunters Wins: Critics Choice Awards 2026 Must-See Momentshttps://t.co/mccLk2GG8p pic.twitter.com/YvhRv7bDg4
— Ruel Mendoza (@mydeeds) January 5, 2026
There was Ariana smiling with director Jon M. Chu, Seth Rogen kissing wife Lauren Miller as he picked up best actor in a comedy series, and Kylie and Timothee looking very couple-y before he headed to the stage. Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro posed like old-school movie stars for their film “One Battle After Another”, while Michael B. Jordan made it a family affair, proudly posing with his mom, Donna.
We also got selfies and sweet moments: Timothee cheesing with young interviewer Taylen Biggs, Elle Fanning and Mckenna Grace sharing a quiet, affectionate beat, and “The Pitt” stars Patrick Ball, Shawn Hatosy, and Noah Wyle huddled up for the cameras. Backstage, Marcello Hernandez, Jimmy Kimmel, and Sebastian Maniscalco looked like the world’s most chaotic boys’ club in between segments.
Oh, and because it wouldn’t be awards season without it: Jimmy Kimmel and wife Molly McNearney shared a kiss when “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” won best talk show. The whole night played like a highlight reel of Hollywood telling us, “Yes, we still love awards shows – at least when there’s a camera nearby.”
The Take
I’ll say it: the Critics Choice Awards have quietly become the cozy living room of awards season. The Oscars are the formal dining room. The Critics Choice? That’s where everyone kicks off their shoes, orders another drink, and starts taking selfies.
The photo evidence from this year makes one thing very clear: this show runs on couples and comfort. Seth Rogen kissing Lauren Miller mid-win, Jimmy and Molly celebrating a talk-show victory, Kylie and Timothee tucked in close at their table, Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys leaning in for a sweet snap – it all sends the same message: “We’re here to work, but also, we’re on a date.”
What used to be stiff, handshake-heavy industry nights have turned into something closer to a high school reunion with better tailoring. Celebrities aren’t just waving from their seats; they’re documenting. The selfies. The table snaps. The candid eye-rolls. It’s less “ladies and gentlemen, the cinema” and more “tag me in that, I look good.”
I don’t necessarily mean that as a drag. There’s something genuinely sweet about Michael B. Jordan bringing his mom, or Leo and Benicio posting up like the last two guys at a very cool poker game. Even the rain outside kind of adds to the vibe – like the whole town still showed up to family dinner, weather be damned.
If the Oscars are about who gets to be immortalized, the Critics Choice right now are about who looks the most relaxed. Think of it like this: the Oscars are the yearbook photo; this show is the group selfie in the parking lot after. One might end up in a museum someday, but guess which one you re-watch and send to your friends?
Receipts
Confirmed (from event coverage and captions dated Jan. 4-5, 2026):
- The 2026 Critics Choice Awards were held at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica and kicked off the 2026 awards season, per the show recap.
- Ariana Grande, Timothee Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kylie Jenner, Michael B. Jordan, Seth Rogen, Jimmy Kimmel, Elle Fanning, Mckenna Grace, and others attended, as shown in credited event photos.
- There was a tribute to Rob and Michele Reiner, described in coverage as a “sweet tribute” following a recent tragedy.
- Captions note Timothee Chalamet thanked Kylie Jenner in his acceptance speech for “Marty Supreme”.
- Photo captions identify Seth Rogen winning best actor in a comedy series and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” winning best talk show.
- Images show couples (Rogen/Miller, Kimmel/McNearney, Russell/Rhys), cast groups (“One Battle After Another,” “The Pitt”), and candid moments like selfies and kisses.
- The Critics Choice Awards are presented by the Critics Choice Association, as stated by the organization in its own materials.
Unverified / Opinion (my read, not reported fact):
- That the Critics Choice Awards now function more as a “cozy living room” of awards season than a stiff industry event.
- Any interpretation of how serious or strategic the couples moments (like Kylie and Timothee’s coziness) are from a PR perspective.
- The idea that the “real” show is happening in selfies and table snaps more than onstage – that’s cultural commentary, not something anyone on record said.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
If you’re not tracking every trophy in Hollywood: the Critics Choice Awards are handed out by the Critics Choice Association, a group of film and TV critics. The show has built a reputation over the past couple of decades as an early-season temperature check for what might go on to succeed at the Oscars and other big ceremonies. It’s generally looser than the Academy Awards, a bit more inclusive of popular titles, and a chance for stars to show up in slightly less pressure-cooker circumstances.
In recent years, celebrity couples like Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet have turned every red carpet and ceremony into a mini event in its own right, with fans watching not only who wins, but who sits together, who kisses on camera, and who pops up in whose backstage photos.
What’s Next
With the Critics Choice officially opening the 2026 awards floodgates, attention now shifts to the rest of the season: the other major film and TV ceremonies, the guild awards, and eventually the Oscars. Expect to see many of these same faces doing the awards-show circuit, from more red carpets to more podium speeches.
For the couples and casts who turned this year’s Critics Choice into a soft-launch of their narratives – from Kylie and Timothee’s supportive front-row date night to Leo and Benicio’s “serious actor” table-looks – this is just the first chapter. The big question now is whether the tone stays this warm and relaxed, or if things get sharper and more political as the stakes climb.
Either way, if this show is any hint, we’re in for a season where the photos will tell almost as much story as the speeches.
What did you notice more from this year’s Critics Choice moments – the awards themselves, or the couples-and-friend-group energy happening at the tables?
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