Taking Place on Friday, May 29, 2026
(LOS ANGELES – April 7, 2026) – The Critics Choice Association (CCA) announced today the date and honorees for its 3rd annual Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television, which recognizes achievements across the LGBTQ+ entertainment community and spotlights the talented stars, creators, and writers behind some of the year’s most acclaimed projects. This year’s event will take place Friday, May 29, 2026, in Los Angeles and will celebrate both emerging and established LGBTQ+ film and TV talent, highlighting the breadth of their contributions and the impact they continue to make across the industry.
This year’s honorees include the following:
Emmy Award–winning actor, comedian, and author Jane Lynch will be honored with the Groundbreaker Award in recognition of her extraordinary body of work and, most recently, for her role as host of Fox’s Celebrity Weakest Link, produced by BBC Studios. A longtime champion and visible member of the LGBTQ+ community, Lynch’s signature wit and commanding presence have brought both humor and meaningful LGBTQ+ visibility to countless projects spanning the past two decades.
Emmy Award–winning actor, writer, director, and producer Dan Levy will receive the Vanguard Award for his work on Big Mistakes, premiering April 9 on Netflix. Levy’s work has consistently centered queer lives with nuance and joy, as he continues to push creative boundaries through bold, character-driven storytelling that advances LGBTQ+ representation on a global stage.
Multiple Emmy and WGA Award-winning actor, writer, and producer Paula Pell will be presented with the Trailblazer Award in recognition of her remarkable career and, most recently, for her work on Peacock and UCP’s The ‘Burbs. Pell’s work, both in front of and behind the camera, has helped open doors for more diverse and authentic queer stories in mainstream comedy.
Emmy Award–winning actor Hannah Einbinder will receive the Performance Award for a Comedy Series for her acclaimed role in HBO Max and Universal Television’s Hacks, returning for its fifth and final season on Thursday, April 9. Her work brings an authentic queer perspective to the screen, offering a nuanced and emotionally resonant performance.
Actor and musician Bre-Z will be recognized with the Performance Award for a Drama Series for her role on Warner Bros. Television’s All American. Through her performance, Bre-Z brings depth, authenticity, and resonance to her character’s journey—drawing from her own connection to the LGBTQ+ community—as the character evolves from navigating adolescence as a young lesbian to becoming a confident grounded adult. The eighth and final season of All American is set to premiere later this year on The CW.
Actor Brandon Scott Jones will receive the Supporting Performance Award for a Comedy Series for his role on CBS’ Ghosts. In the series, now in its fifth season and renewed for a sixth, Jones breaks barriers by portraying self-acceptance and the experience of navigating the modern world as a member of the queer community.
Emmy Award–winning director Dearbhla Walsh will be presented with the Director Award for her work on Margo’s Got Money Troubles, adapted for the screen by David E. Kelley. The series starring Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Nick Offerman will debut April 15 on Apple TV. Walsh’s credits include projects with prominent queer storylines and themes, such as Bad Sisters, Shameless, The Tudors, and Penny Dreadful.
Writer, director, and executive producer Jacob Tierney will receive the Showrunner Award for his work on Crave’s Heated Rivalry (available on HBO Max). The series became an international sensation following its release in late 2025 and earned this year’s GLAAD Media Awards honor for Outstanding New TV Series.
Academy Award & Emmy-nominated actor Tig Notaro and actors Karim Diané, Gina Yashere, and Kerrice Brooks will be honored with the Ensemble Award for their roles in Paramount+’s Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. The series has been lauded for its dynamic romantic storylines exploring queer love—including Diané’s character, Jay-Den Kraag, the franchise’s first gay Klingon, and Notaro’s and Yashere’s workplace romance—garnering acclaim from LGBTQ+ fans.
Actor Noah Schnapp will be awarded the Breakthrough Performance Award for his role in Netflix’s Stranger Things. The acclaimed series’ final season, released in late 2025, gave Schnapp the platform to deliver a compelling portrayal of coming out in the 1980s as a young adult.
The Boulet Brothers are set to receive the Reality TV Award for their work on Shudder’s The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans. As visionary queer creators and hosts, they have redefined the genre by expanding the cultural reach of drag, horror, and queer artistry in the reality competition space.
“LGBTQ+ representation continues to matter, now more than ever,” said Joey Berlin, CEO of the Critics Choice Association. “The Critics Choice Association is proud to celebrate and uplift the achievements of the LGBTQ+ community.”
“I’m genuinely honored to be part of the Critics Choice Association’s third annual LGBTQ+ gala,” said Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television Co-Programmer Andrew Freund. “Being part of this community means celebrating who we are, how far we’ve come, and acknowledging our collective resilience. This year’s honorees are extraordinary—bold, brilliant, and wonderfully unapologetic. They do more than inspire, they light the path forward.”
Critics Choice Association member Dino-Ray Ramos serves as the show’s writer. Andrew Freund and CCA member Jerry Nunn will host the show.
Sponsors of the event include KTLA, LatiNation Media, and Milagro Tequila. Partners include FIJI Water.
The show is produced by Javier Infante, Madelyn Hammond and Ella Carlson of Hammond Infante Productions.
Event logos, headshots and digital assets can be found HERE.
About the Critics Choice Association (CCA)
The Critics Choice Association is the largest critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 500 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. For more information, visit:
www.CriticsChoice.com.
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