86th Peabody Awards Name 34 Winners: Kimmel, Heated Rivalry Honored
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Peabody Awards named 34 winners from 68 nominees across seven categories including Entertainment, Documentary, News, Podcast and Radio, Arts, Children's/Youth, and Interactive & Immersive for work released in the last year.
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! was honored for Kimmel's "master class in public apology" after his brief suspension over Charlie Kirk comments, with jurors specifically praising how he "doggedly" asserted his rights to criticize Trump and the MAGA movement.
- Heated Rivalry was cited for balancing "complex themes of sexuality and emotional connection" and making "arguably the biggest cultural impact in television this year," with jurors praising its promotion of "non-toxic masculinity."
- HBO Max led all platforms with six wins, followed by Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, and PBS with two each — giving the streamer a 3-to-1 ratio over its nearest competitor.
- Documentary winners included the Oscar-winning "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" (a Russian teacher resisting government indoctrination after the 2022 Ukraine invasion), "No Other Land" (about Masafer Yatta in the West Bank), and "Pee-wee as Himself."
- News category winners spanned Gaza humanitarian coverage (Al Jazeera's "Fault Lines"), PBS's "Immigration Crackdown" on Trump's deportation plan, ABC News and KABC's Los Angeles wildfire coverage, and a KMBC 9 investigation into prison restraint chair abuse linked to 100+ deaths.
- The ceremony will be held May 31 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, hosted by Mo Amer, with Amy Poehler receiving the Career Achievement Award, James L. Brooks the Industry Icon Award, and Sterlin Harjo the Trailblazer Award.
Why it matters: HBO Max's six wins — triple any single competitor's tally — cement its dominance in prestige television this cycle. Kimmel's award is the most politically charged: jurors specifically tied his win to his free-speech defense after his FCC-driven suspension, giving the industry establishment's implicit backing to a late-night host's public clash with the Trump administration.
Ask SkimNews
