Kristen Bell’s Actor Awards Jokes Failed, But Is The Audience To Blame?

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Rich Polk/Shutterstock for The Actor Awards (16706944ca) Kristen Bell 32nd Annual Actor Awards, Show, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, USA – 01 Mar 2026

Rich Polk/Shutterstock for The A

Kristen Bell hosted The Actor Awards – formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards – on Sunday night on Netflix, telling the crowd of thespians, “New name, same girl.”

​With everything going on in the world, Bell wanted to keep the awards ceremony light and joyful, mentioning the idea of “going back to the well,” meaning why fix what isn’t broken and play to your strengths. She references Jason Bateman’s “likeable curmudgeon,” Sterling K. Brown showing “his beautiful butt cheeks,” and how Claire Danes plays… “Claire Danes-es.” She proves this again by singing her opening monologue as she did last year, but this time referencing the name changes actors must make not only to be part of SAG/AFTRA but also to stand out.

​Sadly, the name suggestions during the song fell flat, or didn’t reach the momentum that many had anticipated – Jacob Elodi to become Jacob O’Lordy or Ted Danson to Ted Dan… daughter. It was only when she reached actress Chase Infiniti’s stage name and responded with “No notes.”

The other bits that followed didn’t add anything to the table – literally, table tennis was one of the bits. In honor of the The Actors Award and Oscar-nominated film Marty Supreme, Bell had the actors battle it out with ping pong. She explains her reasoning, “The Actor Awards are so pure. It’s not like other award shows, where the celebration of art is reduced down to competition and campaigning. This is about actors supporting other actors – and I am here to change that. Because this year, I am escalating the competition, starting with a table tennis tournament. Different pairings will be playing throughout the night, and the winner will receive this [statue].”

​The statue award for the winner was “molded” by Kristen Bell herself, resembling Timothée Chalamet.

It had a bit of a Severance feel to it, which prompted the series’ star, Adam Scott, who is also close friends with Bell, to present her with his own molded, cross-eyed version of her. It reminded Parks and Recs fans of Scott’s character Ben making a claymation doll that looked eerily similar to the statue award and asking the video team, “Do you think a depressed person could make this?”

​The bit didn’t elicit many laughs, at least not on the livestream. The entire thing was very random and cringeworthy, with the awards handed out, then having to pause between them to watch actors like Jackie Tohn, Ted Danson, and Ike Barinholtz play against each other on camera. Things took a very awkward turn when Barinholtz had to play against 12-year-old Hamnet star Jacobi Jupe, and Barinholtz knew he couldn’t be tough against the kid – and walked away crying. Though it was pretty humorous for Jupe to receive the trophy, he told Bell, as he was holding it, “It scares me.”

As the night went on, it became apparent that Bell wasn’t the only one having trouble getting a positive or loud reaction from the audience. Woody Harrelson, who presented Harrison Ford with the Lifetime Achievement Award, made some jokes that didn’t quite land.

“People sometimes complain about actors getting awards,” Harrelson says to the audience. “Isn’t the life we’ve been awarded enough? But, in truth, 80% of you will get lessons in humility this evening. Yup, okay, that’s what I expected.”

As he continued with his speech for Ford, he paused, “You guys are tough. F—ing write these jokes for you.”

Bell did have some impressive moments, especially during her scene with the Actors Award winner, Noah Wyle, who gave Bell a script to recite a bunch of medical jargon. She began reading it and nailed it. Though it was probably planned, Bell executed it well during the live broadcast – a hard feat to do.

The event marks Bell’s third time hosting the awards show, having hosted last year and in 2018, becoming the show’s first emcee (before then, it was just a bunch of presenters). Though this year didn’t seem as exciting and memorable as her past appearances, it doesn’t take away Bell’s charisma and comedic talent.

The 32nd Actor Awards is available to view on Netflix, now until March 28.