Adam Brody delivered a teary-eyed tribute to wife Leighton Meester after winning his first-ever Critics Choice Award during Friday night’s ceremony.
The actor took home Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in the hit Netflix rom-com Nobody Wants This, which also stars Kristen Bell.
He beat out the likes of Only Murders In The Building’s Steve Martin and Martin Short for the coveted comedy prize — marking a major comeback for the heartthrob.
After his name was called, Brody kissed Meester and headed to the stage, where he expressed his ‘love’ for her and their family in a heartfelt speech.
The win was especially emotional for the couple as it comes just weeks after their Pacific Palisades home was destroyed by the devastating LA wildfires.
Brody began by thanking the Critics Choice Association for the honor before heaping praise on Netflix and Nobody Wants This’ dedicated cast and crew.
Adam Brody delivered a teary-eyed tribute to wife Leighton Meester after winning his first-ever Critics Choice Award during Friday night’s ceremony
After his name was called, Brody kissed Meester and headed to the stage, where he expressed his ‘love’ for her in a heartfelt speech
The O.C. hunk also teased that production on season two of the hit series will kicked off in ‘a few weeks.’
‘Thank you to our lovely, lovely, lovely cast and crew. We had the pleasure, the immense pleasure filming this in Los Angeles Can’t wait to run it back with you guys in a few weeks,’ he said, before turning his attention to series creator Erin Foster.
‘Thank you to Erin Foster. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your incredible, unique voice. Thank you for making me part of your story.’
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Adam Brody and Leighton Meester outdo Nobody Wants This kiss at Critics Choice Awards
He then thanked his onscreen love interest, Kristen Bell, for ‘believing’ in him.
‘Thank you for your talent. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your belief in me. This is a Hanukkah present for you,’ Brody joked, while gesturing to his trophy.
He continued: ‘Thank you to my team of over 20 years. Kevin, Joe, Melissa. They are over there. Maybe they represent you.’
Brody got choked up as he paid tribute to Meester, who looked beyond proud of his accomplishment as she struggled to hold back tears in the audience.
‘My darling, darling wife. Thank you. Thank you for sharing this life with me and this journey with me. Thank you for our family. Love you with all my heart. Thank you so much,’ the actor exclaimed.
The actor took home Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in the hit Netflix rom-com Nobody Wants This, which also stars Kristen Bell
Brody got choked up as he paid tribute to wife Meester, who looked beyond proud of his accomplishment as she struggled to hold back tears in the audience
‘My darling, darling wife. Thank you. Thank you for sharing this life with me and this journey with me. Thank you for our family. Love you with all my heart. Thank you so much,’ the actor exclaimed
Fans went wild on social media over Brody’s emotional speech, with many branding him and Meester ‘the cutest couple’ in Hollywood.
Several fans shared crying memes and emojis to show how affected they were by Brody’s kind words to his wife.
‘You can just tell they lead a normal life back at home and aren’t drawn by the Hollywood of it all. Such a great coupling,’ one fan gushed on X (formerly Twitter).
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Another wrote: ‘That’s a real man.’
Nobody Wants This premiered in September on Netflix and follows an agnostic sex podcaster (Bell) and a newly single rabbi (Brody) who fall in love, as per the streamer’s official description.
The couple must see if their relationship can ‘survive their wildly different lives and meddling families.’
The 10-episode series, created by David Foster’s daughter Erin, was renewed for a second season in October.
Nobody Wants This earned three noms at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards ceremony. Along with Best Actor, Brody’s co-star Kristen Bell is up for Best Actress in a Comedy Series while the series has been nominated for Best Comedy Series.
Before his big win, Brody and Meester hit the red carpet — marking their first public appearance since losing their home.
Leighton looked incredible in a glimmering gold gown with corseted top and magical tulle skirt.
Her husband Brody sported a crisp black suit and glossy footwear. The actor, who was last seen at the Golden Globes with a bit of stubble, was now sporting a much bushier beard.
Fans went wild on social media over Brody’s emotional speech, with many branding them ‘the cutest couple’ in Hollywood
Before his big win, Brody and Meester hit the red carpet — marking their first public appearance since losing their home
Leighton, who has been married to Adam since 2014 and shares two children with him, opted for an understated yet sophisticated hairstyle consisting of a simple updo with blunt fringe.
The Critics Choice Awards, hosted by Chelsea Handler, are finally taking place at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on Friday, February 7, after twice being delayed due to the 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.
Wicked, Conclave and Shogun lead 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.
Critics Choice Awards 2025 winners
MOVIES
BEST PICTURE
A Complete Unknown
Anora — WINNER
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing
The Substance
Wicked
Wicked leads the way with 11 nominations
BEST ACTOR
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist — WINNER
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig – Queer
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Hugh Grant – Heretic
Ralph Fiennes is nominated in the Best Actor category for his work in Conclave, which also earned 11 nods
BEST ACTRESS
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance — WINNER
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain — WINNER
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – Nickel Boys
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez — WINNER
Ariana Grande earned a Best Supporting Actress nod for her role as Glinda in Wicked
BEST YOUNG ACTOR / ACTRESS
Alyla Browne – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Elliott Heffernan – Blitz
Maisy Stella – My Old Ass — WINNER
Izaac Wang – Didi
Alisha Weir – Abigail
Zoe Ziegler – Janet Planet
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Anora
Conclave — WINNER
Emilia Pérez
Saturday Night
Sing Sing
Wicked
BEST DIRECTOR
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker – Anora
Edward Berger – Conclave
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Jon M. Chu – Wicked — WINNER
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Sean Baker – Anora
Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, Alex David – September 5
Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold – The Brutalist
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance — WINNER
Justin Kuritzkes – Challengers
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox – Wicked
Greg Kwedar, Clint Bentley – Sing Sing
RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes – Nickel Boys
Peter Straughan – Conclave — WINNER
Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts – Dune: Part Two
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Jarin Blaschke – Nosferatu — WINNER
Alice Brooks – Wicked
Lol Crawley – The Brutalist
Stéphane Fontaine – Conclave
Greig Fraser – Dune: Part Two
Jomo Fray – Nickel Boys
Dune: Part Two earned 10 nominations, including a Best Cinematography nod for Greig Fraser
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Judy Becker, Patricia Cuccia – The Brutalist
Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales – Wicked — WINNER
Suzie Davies – Conclave
Craig Lathrop – Nosferatu
Arthur Max, Jille Azis, Elli Griff – Gladiator II
Patrice Vermette, Shane Vieau – Dune: Part Two
BEST EDITING
Sean Baker – Anora
Marco Costa – Challengers — WINNER
Nick Emerson – Conclave
David Jancso – The Brutalist
Joe Walker – Dune: Part Two
Hansjörg Weißbrich – September 5
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Lisy Christl – Conclave
Linda Muir – Nosferatu
Massimo Cantini Parrini – Maria
Paul Tazewell – Wicked — WINNER
Jacqueline West – Dune: Part Two
Janty Yates, Dave Crossman – Gladiator II
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
Christine Blundell, Lesa Warrener, Neal Scanlan – Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Hair and Makeup Team – Dune: Part Two
Hair and Makeup Team – The Substance — WINNER
Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, Laura Blount – Wicked
Traci Loader, Suzanne Stokes-Munton, David White – Nosferatu
Mike Marino, Sarah Graalman, Aaron Saucier – A Different Man
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Mark Bakowski, Pietro Ponti, Nikki Penny, Neil Corbould – Gladiator II
Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, Paul Corbould, David Shirk – Wicked
Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, Gerd Nefzer – Dune: Part Two — WINNER
Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft, Peter Stubbs – Better Man
Visual Effects Team – The Substance
Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story, Rodney Burke – Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot — WINNER
BEST COMEDY
A Real Pain — WINNER (TIE)
Deadpool & Wolverine — WINNER (TIE)
Hit Man
My Old Ass
Saturday Night
Thelma
Deadpool & Wolverine earned a Best Comedy nod
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
All We Imagine as Light
Emilia Pérez — WINNER
Flow
I’m Still Here
Kneecap
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
BEST SONG
“Beautiful That Way” – The Last Showgirl – Miley Cyrus
“Compress / Repress” – Challengers – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
“El Mal” – Emilia Pérez – Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Camille — WINNER
“Harper and Will Go West” – Will & Harper – Kristen Wiig
“Kiss the Sky” – The Wild Robot – Maren Morris
“Mi Camino” – Emilia Pérez – Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez earned a nod in the Best Song category for Mi Camino from Emilia Pérez
BEST SCORE
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Clément Ducol & Camille – Emilia Pérez
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers — WINNER
Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two
TELEVISION
BEST DRAMA SERIES
The Day of the Jackal (Peacock)
The Diplomat (Netflix)
Evil (Paramount+)
Industry (HBO | Max)
Interview with the Vampire (AMC)
The Old Man (FX)
Shōgun (FX / Hulu) — WINNER
Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
FX series Shōgun leads the way with six nominations, including top honor Best Drama Series
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jeff Bridges – The Old Man (FX)
Ncuti Gatwa – Doctor Who (Disney+)
Eddie Redmayne – The Day of the Jackal (Peacock)
Hiroyuki Sanada – Shōgun (FX / Hulu) — WINNER
Rufus Sewell – The Diplomat (Netflix)
Antony Starr – The Boys (Prime Video)
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Caitriona Balfe – Outlander (Starz)
Kathy Bates – Matlock (CBS) — WINNER
Shanola Hampton – Found (NBC)
Keira Knightley – Black Doves (Netflix)
Keri Russell – The Diplomat (Netflix)
Anna Sawai – Shōgun (FX / Hulu)
Anna Sawai was recognized in the Best Actress in a Drama Series category for her work in Shogun
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Tadanobu Asano – Shōgun (FX / Hulu) — WINNER
Michael Emerson – Evil (Paramount+)
Mark-Paul Gosselaar – Found (NBC)
Takehiro Hira – Shōgun (FX / Hulu)
John Lithgow – The Old Man (FX)
Sam Reid – Interview with the Vampire (AMC)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Moeka Hoshi – Shōgun (FX / Hulu) — WINNER
Allison Janney – The Diplomat (Netflix)
Nicole Kidman – Special Ops: Lioness (Paramount+)
Skye P. Marshall – Matlock (CBS)
Anna Sawai – Pachinko (Apple TV+)
Fiona Shaw – Bad Sisters (Apple TV+)
BEST COMEDY SERIES
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
English Teacher (FX)
Hacks (HBO | Max) — WINNER
Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Somebody Somewhere (HBO | Max)
St. Denis Medical (NBC)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Abbott Elementary is nominated for Best Comedy Series
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Brian Jordan Alvarez – English Teacher (FX)
Adam Brody – Nobody Wants This (Netflix) — WINNER
David Alan Grier – St. Denis Medical (NBC)
Steve Martin – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Kayvan Novak – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Martin Short – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Kristen Bell – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Natasia Demetriou – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Bridget Everett – Somebody Somewhere (HBO | Max)
Jean Smart – Hacks (HBO | Max) — WINNER
Kristen Wiig – Palm Royale (Apple TV+)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Paul W. Downs – Hacks (HBO | Max)
Asher Grodman – Ghosts (CBS)
Harvey Guillén – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Brandon Scott Jones – Ghosts (CBS)
Michael Urie – Shrinking (Apple TV+) — WINNER
Tyler James Williams – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Liza Colón-Zayas – The Bear (FX / Hulu)
Hannah Einbinder – Hacks (HBO | Max) — WINNER
Janelle James – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Stephanie Koenig – English Teacher (FX)
Patti LuPone – Agatha All Along (Disney+)
Annie Potts – Young Sheldon (CBS)
BEST LIMITED SERIES
Baby Reindeer (Netflix) — WINNER
Disclaimer (Apple TV+)
Masters of the Air (Apple TV+)
Mr Bates vs the Post Office (PBS)
The Penguin (HBO | Max)
Ripley (Netflix)
True Detective: Night Country (HBO | Max)
We Were the Lucky Ones (Hulu)
Baby Reindeer is up for Best Limited Series
BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
The Great Lillian Hall (HBO | Max)
It’s What’s Inside (Netflix)
Música (Prime Video)
Out of My Mind (Disney+)
Rebel Ridge (Netflix) — WINNER
V/H/S/Beyond (Shudder)
BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Colin Farrell – The Penguin (HBO | Max) — WINNER
Richard Gadd – Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
Tom Hollander – FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)
Kevin Kline – Disclaimer (Apple TV+)
Ewan McGregor – A Gentleman in Moscow (Paramount+)
Andrew Scott – Ripley (Netflix)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Cate Blanchett – Disclaimer (Apple TV+)
Jodie Foster – True Detective: Night Country (HBO | Max)
Jessica Lange – The Great Lillian Hall (HBO | Max)
Cristin Milioti – The Penguin (HBO | Max) — WINNER
Phoebe-Rae Taylor – Out of My Mind (Disney+)
Naomi Watts – FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Robert Downey Jr. – The Sympathizer (HBO | Max)
Hugh Grant – The Regime (HBO | Max)
Ron Cephas Jones – Genius: MLK/X (National Geographic)
Logan Lerman – We Were the Lucky Ones (Hulu)
Liev Schreiber – The Perfect Couple (Netflix) — WINNER
Treat Williams – FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Dakota Fanning – Ripley (Netflix)
Leila George – Disclaimer (Apple TV+)
Betty Gilpin – Three Women (Starz)
Jessica Gunning – Baby Reindeer (Netflix) — WINNER
Deirdre O’Connell – The Penguin (HBO | Max)
Kali Reis – True Detective: Night Country (HBO | Max)
Jessica Gunning is up for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for Baby Reindeer
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE SERIES
Acapulco (Apple TV+)
Citadel: Honey Bunny (Prime Video)
La Máquina (Hulu)
The Law According to Lidia Poët (Netflix)
My Brilliant Friend (HBO | Max)
Pachinko (Apple TV+)
Senna (Netflix)
Squid Game (Netflix) — WINNER
BEST ANIMATED SERIES
Batman: Caped Crusader (Prime Video)
Bluey (Disney+)
Bob’s Burgers (Fox)
Invincible (Prime Video)
The Simpsons (Fox)
X-Men ’97 (Disney+) — WINNER
BEST TALK SHOW
Hot Ones (YouTube)
The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
The Graham Norton Show (BBC America)
John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A. (Netflix) — WINNER
The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBC/Syndicated)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
BEST COMEDY SPECIAL
Ali Wong: Single Lady (Netflix) — WINNER
Jim Gaffigan: The Skinny (Hulu)
Kevin James: Irregardless (Prime Video)
Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die (HBO | Max)
Rachel Bloom: Death, Let Me Do My Special (Netflix)
Ramy Youssef: More Feelings (HBO | Max)