Comedian Chelsea Handler set the tone for awards season with a sharp-edged opening monologue at the Critics’ Choice Awards on January 4, delivering jokes that spared few of Hollywood’s biggest names. The ceremony, held at Barker Hangar, marked the first major awards show of 2026.
Handler wasted no time diving into the year’s top nominees, starting with Leonardo DiCaprio, who stars in one of the most talked-about films of the year, One Battle After Another.
“Leo almost didn’t make it tonight because he was trapped on a boat in St. Barts,” Handler joked, as DiCaprio laughed from the audience. “It was just like the ‘Titanic,’ but worse, because Jeff Bezos was there.”
The line referenced recent paparazzi photos showing DiCaprio and his girlfriend, Vittoria Ceretti, vacationing aboard a superyacht in St. Barts with Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez. While DiCaprio made it to the Critics’ Choice ceremony, he skipped the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala the night before, after FAA air traffic control issues disrupted flights following the attack on Venezuela.
Chelsea Handler roasts Leonardo DiCaprio for being stuck on a boat in St. Barts: “It was just like the ‘Titanic’ but worse because Jeff Bezos was there.” #CriticsChoiceAwards pic.twitter.com/wjjAzogkcw
— Variety (@Variety) January 5, 2026
Handler continued her monologue by turning to television, issuing a mock spoiler alert for Paramount+’s Landman. “Billy Bob Thornton went full frontal,” she said. “Taylor Sheridan said it was nice to have a dick on set that wasn’t Kevin Costner.”
She also took aim at corporate Hollywood while discussing the hit film Sinners, landing a jab at David Zaslav.
“‘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,” Handler said. “Fun fact, the original name of the main vampire was David Zaslav.”
Beyond the jokes, the night highlighted early awards-season frontrunners. On the film side, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners led with 17 nominations, including best picture, while Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another followed closely with 14.
Television contenders mirrored recent Emmy trends. Netflix’s Adolescence topped the list with six nominations, followed by Nobody Wants This with five. The Pitt, All Her Fault, Severance, The Diplomat, Ghosts, and Death by Lightning each earned four nominations, setting up a competitive season ahead.
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