Cynthia Erivo, along with Colin Farrell and Jessica Gunning, took center stage among British and Irish stars at the Critics Choice Awards held at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. The event, which had been delayed twice due to the LA fires, finally came to fruition on Friday.
The Wicked actress, 38, looked nothing short of sensational as she slipped into a daringly plunging black sequinned gown for the swanky occasion.
Cynthia’s dress hugged every inch of her jaw-dropping figure and boasted a quirky peplum detailing and floral embellishments.
The stunner added extra sparkle to the look with a hair of jewel encrusted heels as well as dozens of diamond earrings
(L-R) Cynthia Erivo joined Colin Farrell and Jessica Gunning leading the British and Irish stars at the Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on Friday after twice being delayed due to the LA fires
The Wicked actress, 38, looked nothing short of sensational as she slipped into a daringly plunging black sequinned gown for the swanky occasion
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.
One of the highlights of the awards show was the remarkable success of the musical “Wicked,” which garnered the highest number of nominations at the Critics Choice Awards 2025. Noteworthy mentions were received by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, with the musical matching Conclave for the most nominations, both securing an impressive 11 nods.
Both Wicked and Conclave are also up for the biggest prize of all in Best Picture.
The two films will face off against an impressive field including: A Complete Unknown, Anora, The Brutalist, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Perez, Nickel Boys, Sing Sing, and The Substance.
Ariana, 31, is up for Best Supporting actress as she will take on Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – Nickel Boys, Margaret Qualley – The Substance, Isabella Rossellini – Conclave, and Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez.
Cynthia will also face stiff competition in the coveted Best Actress category as she is up against: Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez, Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths, Angelina Jolie – Maria, Mikey Madison – Anora, and Demi Moore – The Substance.
Transgender actress Gascon, who has been slammed for resurfaced ‘racist’ social media posts, is not expected to be in attendance with her Emilia Perez castmates.
Wicked is centered around Elphaba (Erivo), a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin, and Glinda (Grande), a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. After an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads.
Wicked leads the way with the most Critics Choice Awards 2025 nominations including major nods for Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as the musical earned 11 tying the film Conclave for the most
Meanwhile Conclave’s Ralph Fiennes leads the way in the individual categories of the film as he was nominated for Best Actor in a field which includes: Adrien Brody – The Brutalist, Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown, Daniel Craig – Queer, Colman Domingo – Sing Sing, and Hugh Grant – Heretic.
Conclave is centered around Fiennes’ character Cardinal Lawrence who is tasked with leading one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of the Catholic Church.
Rounding out the top individual honors is Best Supporting Actor which features: Yura Borisov – Anora, Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain, Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing, Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown, Guy Pearce – The Brutalist, and Denzel Washington – Gladiator II.
Both Wicked and Conclave are up for Best Acting Ensemble against Anora, Emilia Pérez, Saturday Night, and Sing Sing.
Best Director will be a contentious category as the field includes: Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez, Sean Baker – Anora, Edward Berger – Conclave, Brady Corbet – The Brutalist, Jon M. Chu – Wicked, Coralie Fargeat – The Substance, RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys, and Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two.
Behind the two frontrunners with most nominations were Dune: Part Two and Emilia Perez which each landed 10 nods.
The Brutalist had nine while Anora and The Substance trailed slightly with seven nominations each.
The Critics Choice Awards are not only bestowed to honor the finest in films but television as well.
Conclave tied with Wicked for most nominations including a Best Actor nod for Ralph Fiennes
Ariana (pictured), 31, is up for Best Supporting actress as she will take on Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – Nickel Boys, Margaret Qualley – The Substance, Isabella Rossellini – Conclave, and Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez
Emilia Perez actress Karla Sofia Gascon, who has been slammed for resurfaced ‘racist’ social media posts, is not expected to be in attendance with her Emilia Perez castmates – seen with Zoe Saldana in the film
FX series Shōgun led the way for TV with six nominations
FX series Shōgun led the way with six nominations. The show earned a nod for Best Drama Series, while the cast was recognized in multiple categories including Hiroyuki Sanada for Best Actor in a Drama Series and Anna Sawai for Best Actress in a Drama Series.
Tadanobu Asano and Takehiro Hira are both up for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, while Moeka Hoshi could take home the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series award.
Abbott Elementary, Disclaimer, Hacks, The Diplomat, The Penguin and What We Do in the Shadows followed with an impressive four nominations each.
Abbott Elementary, Hacks, and What We Do in the Shadows will all face off in the Best Comedy Series category, while Disclaimer and The Penguin are up for Best Limited Series and The Diplomat earned a nod for Best Drama Series.
Abbott Elementary earned additional nods for Quinta Brunson for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, Tyler James Williams for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, and Janelle James for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Disclaimer received nominations for Kevin Kline for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television, Cate Blanchett for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television, and Leila George for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television.
The cast of Hacks was recognized in several categories, earning nods for Jean Smart for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, Paul W. Downs for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, and for Hannah Einbinder for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
The Diplomat earned nominations for Rufus Sewell and Keri Russell who are up for Best Actor in a Drama Series and Best Actress in a Drama Series respectively, while Allison Janney garnered a nod for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Colin Farrell could take home the Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television award for his role in The Penguin, while the show’s Cristin Milioti is up for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television and Deirdre O’Connell was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television.
What We Do in the Shadows garnered nominations for Kayvan Novak for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, Natasia Demetriou for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, and Harvey Guillén for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Netflix sensation Baby Reindeer is also up for four awards including nods for Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning and Best Limited Series.
Historically, the awards are the most accurate predictor of Academy Award nominations.
Another major change for the awards is there will no longer be a Live from E!: Critics Choice Awards two-hour red carpet special ahead of the telecast.
The Critics Choice Awards are presented by the American-Canadian Critics Choice Association which is the largest critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 600 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.
The 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards will air on E! from 7pm-10pm EST.
