Anora was the upset winner of Best Picture at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards on Friday, and its surprise win followed triumphs for Demi Moore for her body-horror film The Substance and Adrien Brody for the historical epic The Brutalist.
The verité-style comedy Anora stars Mikey Madison as an adult dancer who impetuously marries the son of a Russian oligarch, only to have his handlers go to shocking ends to annul the marriage.
Madison and writer, director and editor Sean Baker lost out on earlier awards before their film was ultimately triumphant.
In his emotional acceptance speech, Baker pointed out that his ‘micro-budget’ film cost only $6 million to make, and he thanked everyone who saw it in theaters after the industry was decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Before Anora’s win, presenter Sacha Baron Cohen joked that one of the Best Picture nominees’ scripts landed on his desk, but he never read it because it ‘sounded a bit boring.’
‘I’m not gonna name it, because that would be unprofessional and really disrespectful to Adrien Brody,’ he continued, which got a laugh out Brody in the audience.
Anora was the upset winner of Best Picture at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards on Friday, and its surprise win followed triumphs for Demi Moore for her body-horror film The Substance and Adrien Brody for the historical epic The Brutalist
Anora’s director Sean Baker (L) accepted the award with its star Mikey Madison (R) supporting him. He noted that the ‘micro-budget’ film cost only $6M
The verité-style comedy Anora stars Mikey Madison as an adult dancer who impetuously marries the son of a Russian oligarch, only to have his handlers go to shocking ends to annul the marriage
The star, who had just won his acting award, could be seen calling Cohen a ‘motherf***er.’
Cohen set up a bigger shock when he continued the joke.
‘And the winner for Best Picture… Adrien Brody is — not you!’ he shouted as he announced Anora.
Demi emerged triumphant at the age of 62 when she won Best Actress for her satirical body-horror film The Substance.
‘This has been such a wild ride,’she gushed as she took to the stage.
Demi praised critics for giving her the award, which she said was a ‘healing balm to the very issue the film brings forward.’
She stars in The Substance as a former Oscar winner and now the host of a popular aerobics TV show who is unceremoniously fired once she turns 50 by a piggish network executive (Dennis Quaid).
She learns of the eponymous Substance, which allows her to share the body of a younger woman (Margaret Qualley) to regain her throne, but the concoction has some stomach-churning effects on both of their bodies once they start a tug of war over who will stand in the spotlight.
Before Anora’s win, presenter Sacha Baron Cohen joked that one of the Best Picture nominees’ scripts landed on his desk, but he never read it because it ‘sounded a bit boring.’
‘I’m not gonna name it, because that would be unprofessional and really disrespectful to Adrien Brody,’ he continued, which got a laugh out Brody in the audience. He could be seen calling Cohen a ‘motherf***er’
Cohen set up a bigger shock when he continued the joke. ‘And the winner for Best Picture… Adrien Brody is — not you!’ he shouted as he announced Anora.
‘This has been such a wild ride,’ Demi gushed as she took to the stage
She said the award was a ‘healing balm to the very issue the film brings forward.’ She plays an aging star who turns to The Substance to let her share a younger body to regain her A-list status — but there are stomach-churning side effects; seen in a still from The Substance
Adrien Brody also cemented his Oscars-frontrunner status after winning Best Actor for The Brutalist, and Zoe Saldaña shocked viewers and awards season observers earlier when she won Best Supporting Actress for her embattled Netflix film Emilia Pérez.
Brody praised critics for making his ‘very small, epic film very visible and accessible to people.’
In The Brutalist, he plays a Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor who butts heads with a wealthy benefactor (Guy Pearce) after emigrating to the US.
Saldaña’s win was particularly surprising as it comes after the discovery of racist and Islamophobic tweets from Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón threatened to derail the film’s awards hopes.
Jon M. Chu also won Best Director for Wicked, which significantly increased his odds of winning at the Academy Awards.
Saldaña, 46, was in tears as she delivered a moving speech. She shared thanks for French director Jacques Audiard and the ‘cast and grew’ generally, without breathing Gascón’s name.
Zoe jokingly referenced criticism she has received in the past, including that she is in ‘too many franchises,’ and that the Avatar and Guardians Of The Galaxy star is ‘too blue.’
‘Whenever you receive a negative criticism for a role or a film, everyone says, don’t read the reviews,’ she continued. ‘Then when you get the positive feedback, everyone says, did you read the reviews?’
Adrien Brody cemented his Oscars-frontrunner status after winning Best Actor for The Brutalist
Zoe Saldaña, 46, shocked viewers and awards season observers when she won Best Supporting Actress for her embattled Netflix film Emilia Pérez at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards on Friday
The show got off to a strong start when Conclave earned the first award of the evening for Best Ensemble.
The film’s star, Ralph Fiennes, accepted the award for the film, which depicts the secretive and suspenseful selection of a new pope.
‘We all enjoyed being in our red skirts together,’ Fiennes joked while representing his costars, including Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow.
The win has helped cement the late-breaking Oscars momentum for Fiennes and Conclave.
The Critics Choice Awards, hosted by Chelsea Handler, are finally taking place at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, after twice being delayed due to the devastating LA fires.
The show was first slated to take place on Sunday, January 12, before being pushed to Sunday, January 26.
But due to the venue’s close proximity to the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades, ceremony officials decided to push the show to February.
Following Conclave’s win, the ceremony switched to television.
The 2025 Critics Choice Awards got off to a strong start on Friday when Conclave earned the first award of the evening for Best Ensemble, with its lead Ralph Fiennes accepting
The early win cements the Oscars momentum for Conclave and Fiennes; pictured in a still from the film
Hannah Einbinder and Michael Urie were the dual winners in the best supporting actor and actress in a comedy categories, for Hacks and Shrinking, respectively.
The two gave a hilarious acceptance speech in which they began delivering their speeches at the same time, speaking over each other.
They were followed by the winners in the supporting categories for limited series or movie made for television.
Liev Schreiber won in the men’s category for The Perfect Couple, while Jessica Gunning was awarded for her acclaimed performance in the buzzy series Baby Reindeer.
Shōgun scored two back-to-back wins with supporting actor and supporting actress in a drama series for Tadanobu Asano and Moeka Hoshi.
Hoshi was tearful as she accepted her award after traveling to the US from Japan, though Asano wasn’t able to be at the ceremony.
She shared her thoughts for Los Angeles in the wake of its devastating fires.
‘I was so shocked to see how much this beautiful city has changed because of the fire,’ she said emotionally. ‘My heart goes out to those who have lost their homes and loved ones. Please remember that you are not alone. Even from Japan, I always think of you and remember you. My thoughts are always with you.’
Hannah Einbinder and Michael Urie were the dual winners in the best supporting actor and actress in a comedy categories, for Hacks and Shrinking, respectively. They gave hilarious acceptance speeches while initially speaking simultaneously
Liev Schreiber won in the men’s category for The Perfect Couple, while Jessica Gunning was awarded for her acclaimed performance in the buzzy series Baby Reindeer
Shōgun scored two back-to-back wins with supporting actor and supporting actress in a drama series for Tadanobu Asano and Moeka Hoshi (pictured). Hoshi shared her thoughts with LA after its devastating fires
The ceremony then changed pace with the best animated feature award, which went to the acclaimed film The Wild Robot.
Colin Farrell continued to steamroll the competition when he won for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for his performance in The Penguin.
Farrell was made unrecognizable by heavy layers of prosthetics to allow him to play the Batman villain, whose name was shortened to Oz Cobb for the series.
He originated this version of the role in the blockbuster film The Batman, which starred Robert Pattinson as the title superhero.
Farrell showed off his inescapable charm as he joked about again thanking the show’s makeup department ‘for reasons that are beyond me.’
He included a moving tribute to firefighters and first responders around Los Angeles, and he ended by hilariously shouting out for Kathy Bates.
‘Where are you? Where is she? Cool,’ he said as soon as he spied the Oscar winner. ‘I’ll be over there in a minute.’
Colin’s Penguin costar Cristin Milioti road up to the stage on the same wave of momentum for the DC Comics series, which aired on Max, after winning Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television.
Colin Farrell continued to steamroll the competition when he won for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for his performance in The Penguin
Farrell showed off his inescapable charm as he joked about again thanking the show’s makeup department ‘for reasons that are beyond me.’ Then he called out Kathy Bates so they could party later
Colin’s Penguin costar Cristin Milioti road up to the stage on the same wave of momentum for the DC Comics series, which aired on Max, after winning Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
She played Sofia Gigante, the daughter of a mob boss who is drawn into his criminal empire — initially against her will.
Milioti gushed that she had ‘dreamed of playing’ such a role since she was a child.
But The Penguin’s winning streak was extinguished with the next award for Best Limited Series.
It went to Netflix’s hit Baby Reindeer, and Best Actress winner Jessica Gunning returned to the stage to accept.
The next television award went to Adam Brody for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.
He stars in Nobody Wants This as a rabbi who strikes up a relationship with a podcaster (Kristen Bell) who hosts a sex and dating podcast.
Brody included a sweet shoutout to his wife, Leighton Meester.
Jean Smart followed him up with a win for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her hit HBO Max series Hacks.
The Penguin’s winning streak was extinguished with the next award for Best Limited Series. It went to Netflix’s hit Baby Reindeer, and Best Actress winner Jessica Gunning returned to the stage to accept
The next television award went to Adam Brody for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. He stars in Nobody Wants This as a rabbi who strikes up a relationship with a podcaster (Kristen Bell) who hosts a sex and dating podcast
Brody included a sweet shoutout to his wife, Leighton Meester
Jean Smart was busy filming and couldn’t accept her Best Actress in a Comedy Series Award, and co-creator Paul W. Downs accepted when the show won Best Comedy Series immediately afterward
However, she wasn’t able to accept her award in person, as she was filming at the moment.
Hacks was back again immediately afterward when it won Best Comedy Series.
Co-creator and supporting actor Paul W. Downs stepped up to accept the award, while fellow stars Mark Indelicato, Hannah Einbinder and Megan Stalter joined him for support.
He joked that the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award–winning playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner had done a pass on his acceptance speech, only for his phone to die.
The ceremony jumped back to the film awards when Lupita Nyong’o announced the award for Best Supporting Actor.
Kieran Culkin managed to come out on top of the competitive crowd for his role in A Real Pain.
He starred opposite Jesse Eisenberg, who also wrote and directed the film, as Eisenberg’s mercurial brother as they took a tour of sites of Nazi atrocities in Poland while trying to honor their late grandmother.
However, Culkin wasn’t on hand to accept, as Nyong’o said he was busy in rehearsals on Broadway.
Hiroyuki Sanada continued Shōgun’s incredible winning streak when his name was announced for Best Actor in a Drama Series. The Japanese star was visibly moved and shaken up as he delivered his acceptance speech
Hiroyuki Sanada continued Shōgun’s incredible winning streak when his name was announced for Best Actor in a Drama Series.
The Japanese star, who has been a fixture in international and Hollywood productions for decades, was visibly moved and shaken up as he delivered his acceptance speech.
The Best Actress in a Drama Series winner was the legendary Kathy Bates, who won for her gender-swapped remake of Matlock.
Shōgun was back for one of the biggest awards of the year when it won Best Drama Series.
Co-creator Justin Marks delivered the show’s acceptance speech, and he was flanked by the creative team and Critics Choice Award winners Moeka Hoshi and Hiroyuki Sanada.
Marks included special praise for the late James Clavell, who wrote the best-selling novel of the same name that the original miniseries and the current series were based on.
Emilia Pérez delivered another surprising win despite its ongoing controversy thanks to star Karla Sofía Gascón’s offensive tweets when it won the Best Foreign Language Film award.
Notably, ballots for the ceremony were apparently due weeks before the offensive posts were widely reported, so that knowledge may still affect the Netflix film’s chances for the Academy Awards, as voting has not yet concluded for that show.
Shōgun was back for one of the biggest awards of the year when it won Best Drama Series. Co-creator Justin Marks delivered the show’s acceptance speech
Director Jacques Audiard delivered the film’s acceptance speech in French, his native tongue, with an interpreter reading a pre-translated version of his speech, which he said was only one of several for different awards.
‘It’s a magnificent day. I received a prize from Jackie Chan,’ he joked at the start, referencing the legendary Hong Kong star who presented the award.
Like Saldaña, Audiard thanked the cast and crew but didn’t specifically mention Gascón.
The next winner was also French — The Substance writer and director Coralie Fargeat, who won for Best Original Screenplay for her satirical body-horror film, which stars Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid, all of whom she saluted.
‘Demi, you are the heart of this film. It’s been a vision,’ she said, giving the iconic star an extra shoutout. ‘Thank you for bringing it to life in such a powerful and bold way.’
The complementary Adapted Screenplay award went to Peter Straughan for Conclave.
He reiterated a line from the film, which was likely a reference to current political events.
‘We’re stronger together, and to hell with the man who’s trying to keep us apart,’ he concluded to cheers and applause from the audience.
Emilia Pérez delivered another surprising win despite its ongoing controversy thanks to star Karla Sofía Gascón’s offensive tweets when it won the Best Foreign Language Film award, which was accepted by director Jacques Audiard (pictured)
The next winner was also French — The Substance writer and director Coralie Fargeat, who won for Best Original Screenplay for her satirical body-horror film
The Adapted Screenplay award went to Peter Straughan for Conclave. He reiterated a line from the film, likely a reference to current political events. ‘We’re stronger together, and to hell with the man who’s trying to keep us apart,’ he concluded to cheers and applause
Emilia Pérez notched another win for Best Song, which went to its disgraced star Karla Sofía Gascón, as well as Saldaña and the French singer Camille.
Only Camile accepted, as Netflix has stopped paying for Gascón’s travel and accommodations for the awards season.
The film’s director, Audiard, also jumped in to add to the speech just as the wrap-up music started playing.
Jon M. Chu was a surprise winner in the Best Director category for feature films, as his work on Wicked wasn’t particularly beloved by critics.
Reviews for the film, though they were largely positive, often complained about his underwhelming staging of the film’s musical numbers.
Viewers and critics also took him to task for Wicked’s often desaturated colors, despite its connection to the eternally vibrant Wizard Of OZ.
‘I’m going to win that Oscar!’ he joked as soon as he arrived on stage, referencing presenter Orlando Bloom reminding audience members that the winner of the Critics Choice Award for Best Director had gone on to win the Oscar in the same category for the past seven years.
Wicked, Conclave and Shōgun led the nominations.
Wicked scored the most Critics Choice Awards 2025 nominations, including major nods for its stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, as the musical ties Conclave for the most nominations with 11.
Both Wicked and Conclave are also up for the biggest prize of the night in Best Picture.
The two films will face off against an impressive field including: A Complete Unknown, Anora, The Brutalist, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, Nickel Boys, Sing Sing and The Substance.
Ariana, 31, is up for Best Supporting actress, and she will take on Danielle Deadwyler — The Piano Lesson, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor — Nickel Boys, Margaret Qualley — The Substance, Isabella Rossellini — Conclave, and Zoe Saldaña –—Emilia Pérez.
Cynthia, 38, will also face stiff competition in the coveted Best Actress category, as she is up against: Karla Sofía Gascón — Emilia Pérez, Marianne Jean-Baptiste — Hard Truths, Angelina Jolie — Maria, Mikey Madison — Anora, and Demi Moore — The Substance.
Transgender actress Gascon, who has been slammed for resurfaced ‘racist’ social media posts, is not expected to be in attendance with her Emilia Pérez castmates.
Wicked is centered around Elphaba (Erivo), a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin, and Glinda (Grande), a popular girl. The two become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz, but after an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads.
Wicked leads the way with the most Critics Choice Awards 2025 nominations, including major nods for Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. The musical earned 11 tying the film Conclave for the most
Meanwhile, Conclave’s Ralph Fiennes leads the Best Actor field, which includes: Adrien Brody — The Brutalist, Timothée Chalamet — A Complete Unknown, Daniel Craig — Queer, Colman Domingo — Sing Sing, and Hugh Grant — Heretic.
Conclave is centered around Fiennes’ character, Cardinal Lawrence, who is tasked with leading one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope. But he soon finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of the Catholic Church.
Rounding out the top individual honors is the Best Supporting Actor category, which features: Yura Borisov — Anora, Kieran Culkin — A Real Pain, Clarence Maclin — Sing Sing, Edward Norton — A Complete Unknown, Guy Pearce — The Brutalist, and Denzel Washington — Gladiator II.
Both Wicked and Conclave are up for Best Acting Ensemble against Anora, Emilia Pérez, Saturday Night and Sing Sing.
Best Director will be a contentious category, as the field includes: Jacques Audiard — Emilia Pérez, Sean Baker — Anora, Edward Berger — Conclave, Brady Corbet — The Brutalist, Jon M. Chu — Wicked, Coralie Fargeat — The Substance, RaMell Ross — Nickel Boys, and Denis Villeneuve — Dune: Part Two.
Behind the two frontrunners with the most nominations were Dune: Part Two and Emilia Perez, which each landed 10 nods.
The Brutalist had nine while Anora and The Substance trailed slightly with seven nominations each.
The Critics Choice Awards don’t only honor the finest in films, but television as well.
Conclave tied with Wicked for most nominations including a Best Actor nod for Ralph Fiennes
Ariana (pictured), 31, is up for Best Supporting actress. She will take on Danielle Deadwyler — The Piano Lesson, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor — Nickel Boys, Margaret Qualley — The Substance, Isabella Rossellini — Conclave, and Zoe Saldaña — Emilia Pérez
Emilia Pérez actress Karla Sofía Gascón, who has been slammed for resurfaced ‘racist’ social media posts, is not expected to be in attendance with her Emilia Pérez castmates – seen with Zoe Saldaña in the film
FX series Shōgun led the way for TV with six nominations
FX series Shōgun leads the way with six nominations. The show earned a nod for Best Drama Series, while the cast was recognized in multiple categories, including Hiroyuki Sanada for Best Actor in a Drama Series and Anna Sawai for Best Actress in a Drama Series.
Tadanobu Asano and Takehiro Hira are both up for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, while Moeka Hoshi could take home the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series award.
Abbott Elementary, Disclaimer, Hacks, The Diplomat, The Penguin and What We Do in the Shadows followed with an impressive four nominations each.
Abbott Elementary, Hacks and What We Do in the Shadows will all face off in the Best Comedy Series category, while Disclaimer and The Penguin are up for Best Limited Series and The Diplomat earned a nod for Best Drama Series.
Abbott Elementary earned additional nods for Quinta Brunson for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, Tyler James Williams for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and Janelle James for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Disclaimer received nominations for Kevin Kline for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television, Cate Blanchett for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television and Leila George for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television.
The cast of Hacks was recognized in several categories, earning nods for Jean Smart for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, Paul W. Downs for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and for Hannah Einbinder for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
The Diplomat earned nominations for Rufus Sewell and Keri Russell, who are up for Best Actor in a Drama Series and Best Actress in a Drama Series, respectively, while Allison Janney garnered a nod for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Colin Farrell could take home the Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television award for his role in The Penguin, while the show’s Cristin Milioti is up for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television and Deirdre O’Connell was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television.
What We Do in the Shadows garnered nominations for Kayvan Novak for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, Natasia Demetriou for Best Actress in a Comedy Series and Harvey Guillén for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Netflix sensation Baby Reindeer is also up for four awards, including nods for Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning and Best Limited Series.
Historically, the awards are considered the most accurate predictor of Academy Award nominations.
Another major change for the ceremony is there will no longer be a Live from E!: Critics Choice Awards two-hour red carpet special ahead of the telecast.
The Critics Choice Awards are presented by the American–Canadian Critics Choice Association, which is the largest critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 600 media critics and entertainment journalists.
It was established in 2019 with the formal merger of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, recognizing the intersection between film, television, and streaming content.
The 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards will air on E! from 7 p.m.–10 p.m. EST/PST.