There wasn’t a better way to kick off the first weekend of Pride Month than at the 2nd annual Critic Choice LGBTQ+ Celebration of Cinema and Television.
The festive fete at the Fairmont Century Plaza recognized more than a dozen performers and producers who work has served to shine a light on a wide range of LGBTQ+ experiences.
Actor and standup comedian Sherry Cola, who emceed last year’s inaugural celebration, returned to host the ceremonies.
The mood was buoyant as guests and honorees made their way into the hotel ballroom for a night that was filled with love and laughter beginning with the Vanguard Award presented to Nathan Lee Graham, currently starring in Hulu’s Mid-Century Modern.
He and other honorees used humor to reflect on their journeys and the importance of creative freedom in their respective projects.
Here is a complete list of the honorees:
⭐Wanda Sykes (Career Achievement Award)
⭐Niecy Nash-Betts (Groundbreaker Award; Grotesquerie)
⭐Michael Urie(Trailblazer Award; Shrinking)
⭐Nathan Lee Graham(Vanguard Award; Mid-Century Modern)
⭐Benito Skinner (Rising Star Award; Overcompensating)
⭐Bowen Yang(Comedy Award; Saturday Night Live)
⭐Megan Stalter (Breakthrough Performance Award; Hacks)
⭐Sasheer Zamata(Breakthrough Performance Award; Agatha All Along)
⭐Tramell Tillman (Supporting Performance Award – Drama Series; Severance)
⭐Gideon Glick(Supporting Performance Award – Comedy Series; Étoile)
⭐Liv Hewson(Rising Star Award; Yellowjackets)
⭐The cast of “Somebody Somewhere” (Ensemble Award)
⭐Eric d’Arbeloff & Howard Cohen (Industry Leadership Award; Co-Presidents of Roadside Attractions)
⭐RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 ( Reality TV Award)
⭐Josh Greenbaum (Documentary Award; Will & Harper)
“We are extremely proud to showcase both emerging and established LGBTQ+ talent, and to shine a light on powerful work from this historically underrepresented community,” said Joey Berlin, CEO of the Critics Choice Association.
“People flew in from around the world for the inaugural Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television in 2024, and 2025 will continue that tradition with a rainbow of representation from across the globe. This celebration sequel will honor every letter within a diverse pool of incredible queer talent,” said Jerry Nunn, Chairman and Founder of the CCA’s LGBTQ+ Committee.
The ceremony will be run on Here TV on June 27.
