“Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” might have scooped up the bulk of honors at the 29th annual Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, but speeches from host Chelsea Handler, winner Robert Downey Jr. and others stole the night.
Handler, a comedian and political activist tasked with hosting duties, opened the night with a set of jokes that appeared to poke fun at Golden Globes host Jo Koy. She also went rogue and allowed “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig and actress Margot Robbie to give an acceptance speech when they were denied one. And Downey, who won the best supporting actor award, read off a collection of negative reviews about his past performances.
The speeches came during a night that saw “Oppenheimer” snag eight awards, including best film. Its summer box-office peer “Barbie” collected six awards, including best comedy. “Beef” and “The Bear” swept up four wins each in the television categories. “Succession,” which won best drama series, picked up three awards on the evening.
Advertisement
End of carouselBut the award results weren’t what drew headlines Monday. Handler’s opening monologue inspired a wealth of coverage, mostly because of her direct dig at Globes host Koy. It began when the former host of “Chelsea Lately” joked that she wanted to “toss around” Martin Scorsese like a “little Italian meatball” — to which the audience laughed. She responded: “Thank you for laughing at that. My writers wrote it.”
This appeared to be a shot at Koy, who had blamed writers for jokes that fell flat at the Jan. 7 Globes ceremony. Two of Koy’s jokes that drew eye-rolls from the audience and those on social media came at the expense of Taylor Swift and “Barbie.”
Handler also came to “Barbie’s” rescue during Sunday’s show, calling Gerwig and Robbie to the stage to offer an acceptance speech for winning the best comedy film award, which had been presented during a commercial break.
Advertisement
“I’m gonna go rogue because Greta and Margot deserve the opportunity to make an acceptance speech,” Handler said, according to reports. “Would you mind coming up and accepting the award?”
Gerwig and Robbie then made their way to the stage, a tad surprised by the decision.
“Thank you, Chelsea. We love you so much,” Robbie said, according to multiple reports. “You know, when everyone is like: ‘Oh, this is so unexpected. This is actually unexpected and was not apart of the show.’ We were very grateful nonetheless, and I’d like Greta to talk.”
Another unexpected moment came from Downey, who read off several negative reviews critics wrote about him in the past.
“The first one’s kind of like haiku: ‘Sloppy, messy and lazy.’ The next one’s more metaphoric: ‘Like Pee-wee Herman emerging from a coma,’” the actor said.
Advertisement
“This was from a Brit: ‘A puzzling waste of talent,’” he added. “And lastly — and this one lingered — ‘amusing as a bed-locked fart.’”
The event wasn’t free from controversy, though: “The Last of Us” star Bella Ramsey got some social media gripes for a joke they made while presenting best song category, calling the nominees as “some of the most famous voices in the music industry.” But then, Ramsey said, “There are the actors who think they’re singers: Jack Black, Ariana DeBose, and Ken himself, Ryan Gosling.” Ariana DeBose, star of Disney animated musical “Wish,” appeared displeased at the joke. She later wrote on her Instagram Story: “No I didn’t find it funny. Lol.”
Social media followers defended DeBose, pointing out that she previously worked on the popular Broadway musical “Hamilton” and starred in the 2021 version of “West Side Story” as Anita.
Advertisement
“The writers for @CriticsChoice missed the mark with their comment about ‘actors who think they’re singers’ and including Ariana DeBose as part of that list,” wrote on viewer on X (formerly Twitter). “The woman starred in Broadway musicals — she’s a trained singer.”
Gosling, another actor mentioned in Ramsey’s joke, went on to win the best song award for “I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie.” His deadpan reaction became an instant meme on social media.
“It was a great night and a great show,” Critics Choice Association chief operating officer Joey Berlin in a statement. “Chelsea Handler is the world’s best awards show host, all the stars came out and shined, and there were so many great speeches and memorable moments. To see them now flying around in social media is even more gratifying.”
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZMC1xcueZmtoYml8cX2Oamxom6Kewaqv0maaoaeZmLJurdaaqZ2rXay2r7rEq6pmq6CasqS0xKxm