The 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards streamed live on Netflix on February 23, 2025, from Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall, with Kristen Bell hosting.
On the awards front, Conclave won Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, while TV’s top ensemble honors went to Shōgun (drama) and Only Murders in the Building (comedy). Individual winners included Timothée Chalamet, Demi Moore, Kieran Culkin, Zoe Saldaña, Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai, Jean Smart, and Martin Short.
Best moments
Kristen Bell’s musical opener set the tone. Bell kicked off the show with a Frozen-inspired parody (“Do You Want to Be an Actor?”), underscoring the show’s actor-forward theme and pairing it with footage of nominees in early roles.
A Hacks bit delivered peak awards-show comedy. One of the night’s biggest laughs came from a pre-taped segment featuring Jean Smart as Deborah Vance, complete with a faux “feud” beat and an inside-baseball SAG joke—exactly the kind of self-aware humor the room tends to love.
Harrison Ford’s snack cameo went charmingly off-script. During the “I Am an Actor” portion of the broadcast, Ford inadvertently pulled focus behind Jessica Williams while eating on camera—prompting a genuine, giggly reaction that became an instant social clip.
Demi Moore’s acceptance speech hit an emotional note. Moore used her win to reflect on her early years in the union and thanked fellow performers—framing actors as her “greatest teachers,” in a speech that played as both personal and warmly communal.
Worst moments
Technical issues repeatedly interrupted the show’s flow. Multiple outlets noted sound problems throughout the telecast, including disruptions during Jane Fonda’s Life Achievement moment—an especially unfortunate hiccup during the night’s most “listen closely” segment.
COVID surfaced as the night’s lingering buzzkill. Martin Short missed the ceremony after contracting COVID, and the topic resurfaced onstage in jokes between presenters and winners—an unavoidable reminder that awards-season crowds still come with real-world risks.
