Peabody Awards Honor 34 Winners as Jimmy Kimmel, Others Target Trump in Speeches
Updated
Updated · Variety · Jun 1
Peabody Awards Honor 34 Winners as Jimmy Kimmel, Others Target Trump in Speeches
2 articles · Updated · Variety · Jun 1
Thirty-four winners were celebrated at the 86th Peabody Awards on Sunday, where acceptance speeches repeatedly turned into denunciations of censorship, authoritarianism and the Trump administration.
Jimmy Kimmel, honored for using comedy to expose truths during political volatility, said criticism of leaders should not merit an award and tied his remarks to his brief ABC suspension after FCC threats last September.
Entertainment programs took 11 prizes, followed by 10 for documentaries, five for news, four for interactive/immersive works, three for podcasts/radio and one for children’s/youth programming.
Speakers including Tony Gilroy, Joseph Patel, Andrew Jarecki, Sterlin Harjo and PBS Kids executive Sarah DeWitt used the Beverly Wilshire ceremony to condemn attacks on immigrants, Palestinians, Black history, prison oversight and public media.
The 34 winners were selected by unanimous vote from 28 jurors after more than 1,000 entries, underscoring the Peabodys’ continued focus on politically charged journalism and storytelling.
With public media defunded, what new models will emerge to tell stories for the public good?
In an era of high political stakes, must all successful storytelling now serve as a form of protest?
As governments increasingly censor digital content, what is the future of online satire and dissent?