The Actor Awards — formerly the SAG Awards — got a facelift this year, one host Kristen Bell made sure to poke fun of as she kicked off the 32nd annual ceremony.
“New name, same girl,” Bell said as she took the stage. “Like many people in this room can understand, we nipped the SAG and now it’s just the Actor Awards.”
Bell played on the awards show’s new name, focusing her opening monologue on adopted stage names, a common choice for actors seeking something “that rolls of the tongue with melodious ease,” Bell said.
Host Kristen Bell speaks onstage during the 32nd Annual Actor Awards at Shrine Auditorium.
(Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images)
The “Nobody Wants This” star leaned into what worked for her last year: singing. During her performance, Bell trilled through possible name changes for actors.
“A stage name should be something fun — a name to ensure you’re the only one,” Bell quipped, before suggesting Jacob Elordi become Jacordi O’Lordy.
Sunday was Bell’s third time taking the mic, after hosting in 2018 and 2025.
The ceremony kicked off with a pre-recorded scene in which actors from “Abbott Elementary” quipped about nominees. Then, various actors, including Kristen Wiig, Teyana Taylor and “Sinners” actor Delroy Lindo, all seated in the audience, shared moments from their careers.
Lindo spoke about a “challenging career,” one that he hoped would be “an encouraging example to all actors out there who may currently be facing their own challenges.”
“I am Delroy Lindo, I’m an actor and — never forget, all you aspiring thespians — you are too,” Lindo said.
Shortly after the first awards were announced, Bell introduced a table tennis tournament. Different actors would be playing head to head throughout the night, starting off with Ted Danson and “Nobody Wants This” star Jackie Tohn.
Bell previously said returning as a host “was an easy decision” and promised that she’ll “be doing what every actor does best … sing.” The actor opened the 2025 ceremony by singing “Do You Want to Be an Actor?” to the tune of her film “Frozen’s” “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”
Bell had said viewers shouldn’t expect a roast or political jokes in her opening monologue. “It’s not my vibe. It never has been. Mainly because I wouldn’t do it well,” she told Deadline ahead of the ceremony.
“The world can use some levity right now, so we’re going to keep things fun tonight,” Bell said. Her monologue approach differed from other awards show hosts: Trevor Noah, who hosted the Grammys in early February, was threatened with legal action by President Trump over a joke he made connecting Trump to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Golden Globes host Nikki Glaser also referenced the Epstein files in her opening monologue in January.
More to Read
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: latimes.com
