The award show madness is back! Right when everyone seems excited for the back-to-back awards that are about to happen. Starting with the Golden Globe Awards, followed by the Critics Choice Awards, Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, Grammy Awards, and the mother of all shows, the Academy Awards (Oscars).
Fans were eager for the nominees of the SAG Awards to be announced and received shock as the news of the massive wildfires in the Los Angeles area destroyed homes in Malibu, killed two, and threatened landmarks, prompting evacuations and pleas for help. In the wake of this tragic incident, SAG-AFTRA revealed the nominees for the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Wednesday, January 8. However, the announcement was muted due to the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles.
View this post on Instagram
While there were unexpected snubs and surprises, PEOPLE reported that due to the wildfire situation, a live, in-person presentation was canceled. Instead, the nominations were shared in a press release, which acknowledged the “devastating” fires. Actress Kristen Bell will host this year’s awards, which will stream live on Netflix on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 8 p.m. ET from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles. Read on to find out more about the biggest snubs and surprises of the event.
Snub: Nicole Kidman for ‘Babygirl’
View this post on Instagram
Actress Nicole Kidman was not included in the Screen Actors Guild Awards list of nominations for her applauding role in the erotic thriller “Babygirl,”.For the same film, she won a Golden Globes nomination and was the National Board of Review’s pick for Best Actress of the Year. Instead, the nominations included Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl), Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez), Mikey Madison (Anora), and Demi Moore (The Substance). Kidman already has won 15 previous SAG Awards nominations for her film drama series Big Little Lies.
Snub: Angelina Jolie for ‘Maria’
View this post on Instagram
Veteran actress and model Angelina Jolie returned to the big screen with her film, Maria, portraying famed opera singer Maria Callas. However, it looked like that was not enough to land a nomination for SAG-AFTRA. The star has been nominated at the SAG Awards four times. She won for her supporting role in Girl, Interrupted. Over her career, she has won two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and also a Tony, apart from all other minor ones.
Snub: Selena Gomez for ‘Emilia Pérez’ and ‘Only Murders in the Building’
View this post on Instagram
Multi-talented actress and singer Selena Gomez, who earned nominations for her part of the ensemble cast of Emilia Pérez and Only Murders in the Building, was not individually recognized for her performances in the film and TV series. Whereas at The Golden Globes for the Spanish-language musical and the Hulu show, besides winning the best actress prize (jointly with co-stars Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón).
Snub: Cooper Koch for ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’
View this post on Instagram
Actor Cooper Koch, who played the role of Erik Menendez in Ryan Murphy’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix, did not get nominated for SAG-AFTRA. Javier Bardem is the only cast member nominated by the SAG Awards for the gruesome crime documentary. The show received controversial remarks for its portrayal of the brothers who famously murdered their parents in 1989. At 53, they now remain behind bars, serving their sentence at the Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
Surprise: Jamie Lee Curtis for ‘The Last Showgirl’
View this post on Instagram
In 2023, Curtis took home both the SAG Award and the Oscar for her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Now, she’s back in the supporting actress category for The Last Showgirl, with her co-star Pamela Anderson also earning a nomination in the leading actress category. Despite her amazing performance in the Las Vegas-set drama, it had largely been overlooked during the award season. The actress will next be seen alongside Lindsay Lohan for the sequel to the aforementioned 2003 movie ‘Freaky Friday’.
Surprise: Jonathan Bailey for ‘Wicked’
View this post on Instagram
Popular actor Jonathan Bailey was added to the nominations for the SAG Awards for playing the singing-and-dancing Prince Fiyero in the sensational musical ‘Wicked’. The two-part film adaptation was directed by Jon M. Chu and starred Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero. while the characters created a lot of buzz online, it’s sad to witness Jonathan Bailey’s nomination being missed out here. Additionally, potential nominees like actor Denzel Washington for Gladiator II and Guy Pearce for The Brutalist were left out.
Surprise: Nicole Coughlan for ‘Bridgerton’
View this post on Instagram
Everyone’s favorite Irish actress, Nicola Coughlan, who won massive fan praise for her role as Penelope Featherington in the British drama Bridgerton, has earned a nomination for season 3 of the acclaimed show. The show received mixed reactions from critics and media houses. With its strong characters, soapy drama, and aesthetic narratives, it was undeniably a hit.