What To Know
- Chelsea Handler opened the 2026 Critics Choice Awards with her signature humor, making playful jabs at celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicki Minaj, Kevin Costner, and Taylor Sheridan.
- Handler also remembered the late Rob Reiner following his and his wife Michele’s deaths.
Chelsea Handler kicked off the 2026 Critics Choice Awards with the “right vibes,” a.k.a. making hilarious jokes about several famous faces — and also took a moment to remember the late Rob Reiner after his and his wife Michele’s deaths.
Handler returned for her fourth consecutive year hosting the annual awards ceremony on Sunday, January 4. During her opening monologue, Handler took some time to praise the cast of One Battle After Another, but not without poking fun at leading man Leonardo DiCaprio.
“Leo almost didn’t make it tonight because he was trapped on a boat in St. Barts. It was just like the Titanic but worse because Jeff Bezos was there,” she stated, referring to the actor’s penchant for yachting and his friendship with the Amazon founder. DiCaprio took the jokes with a grain of salt, as he was shown laughing at Handler’s comments during the broadcast.
Switching topics, Handler gushed over the “massive blockbuster” that was Ryan Coogler‘s Sinners. However, she joked that she hasn’t “been invited into a Black person’s house since,” adding, “Except Nicki Minaj‘s, but who wants to go over there?” (Minaj recently faced backlash for participating in a Turning Point USA AmericaFest 2026 summit panel with Charlie Kirk‘s widow, Erika Kirk.)
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While discussing Sinners, Handler snuck in a joke about Netflix’s recent purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery. “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 began, before taking a dig at Warner Bros.’s CEO and President. “Fun fact, the original name of the main vampire was David Zaslav,” she said, prompting Sinners star Michael B. Jordan to shake his head.
Awards shows are known for taking jabs at politics, and Handler did just that while discussing Netflix’s Frankenstein. “Frankenstein is up for Best Picture. It is the story of a surgeon obsessed with curing death through science, unlike our current administration, which is obsessed with curing science through death,” she said, referring to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s controversial leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Perhaps the most shocking monologue joke was Handler’s dig at Kevin Costner‘s beef with Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan. Addressing the cast of the Sheridan’s series Landman, “Spoiler alert: In a recent episode, Billy Bob Thornton went full frontal. Taylor Sheridan said it was nice to have a dick on set that wasn’t Kevin Costner.”
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The joke sparked audible reactions from attendees, as well as surprised looks from Landman stars Michelle Randolph, Ali Larter, and Tracker‘s Justin Hartley.
Costner notably exited Yellowstone after four-and-a-half seasons in June 2024 following creative differences with Sheridan and scheduling conflicts. His character, John Dutton, was killed off during Season 5 last year.
Handler then wrapped up her monologue with a touching tribute to Rob Reiner.
“Everyone in this room knows that the nicest guy in Hollywood was Rob Reiner. Anyone who ever spent time with Rob Reiner knows that the minute that you met him, he felt like an old friend. When you were in a conversation with him, he was present, he was focused, and he was funny, and he would ask you tons of questions. Whether you were discussing politics or film or the latest beauty trends, he was all in,” she shared. “After I sent him a text thanking him for dinner a few months ago, he texted me back and said, ‘We had so much fun with you last night. Thanks for explaining so much about plastic surgery. It was very edifying.’ Rob and Michele were tireless in their efforts to so many important causes, all stemming from one basic idea: decency, that we should all look out for each other. And I think we can all agree that we definitely need more of that. So let’s use tonight as a reminder of that decency and as a reminder of everything Rob and Michele represented and fought so hard for.”
What did you think of Chelsea Handler’s monologue? Let us know in the comments section below.
