SAG Awards 2024 highlights: Best and worst moments of the night

For its 30th anniversary, the Screen Actors Guild Awards celebrated by moving to Netflix. Fortunately, the streamer has learned a lot about putting on a live show since last year's "live" Love Is Blind reunion fiasco. Though there was one brief power outage on the red carpet, the rest of the evening played out like a normal awards show — there were funny flubs, flat banter, sweet speeches, cast reunions, and a really long speech by Fran Drescher. Read on for the peaks and valleys of the 2024 SAG Awards.

01 of 05

BEST: Meryl (almost) falls for Idris

Meryl Streep presenting at the 2024 SAG Awards — Meryl Streep collides with the mic after smooching Idris Elba at the 2024 SAG Awaards.
Netflix

Sure, Meryl Streep’s reunion with her Devil Wears Prada costars Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway was cute. But it was truly adorable to see how flummoxed even a three-time Oscar winner gets in the presence of thee Idris Elba. Striding on stage with confidence, Streep gave Elba a big smooch on the cheek — and then promptly walked straight into the microphone. Girl, we get it.

02 of 05

WORST: The 'no commercial breaks' lie

Ayo Edebiri and Tan France at the 2024 SAG Awards.
Netflix

“Streaming means no commercials, no breaks, so we’re going to be going for two hours, nonstop,” Idris Elba told the crowd at the top of the ceremony. Idris, we hate to call you a liar, but “nonstop” implies no momentum-killing breaks… and there’s no other way to describe those “backstage with Tan” interludes, in which the Queer Eye star made time-filling banter with a winner. (Sample: “Have you seen Cynthia Erivo? Her body is nuts — she is shredded.”) Why on earth would they do this, you ask? According to New York Times reporter Kyle Buchanan, it’s so the streamer will have space to plug in commercials for viewers who subscribe to their ad tier.

03 of 05

BEST: Barbra brings the house down before even saying a word

Barbra Streisand and Anne Hathaway at the 2024 SAG Awards.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images; Netflix

There are stars, and then there are those celebrity supernovas who leave even the biggest stars starstruck. This year’s Life Achievement Award recipient falls into the latter category. All Barbra Streisand had to do was walk out on stage — and she had the audience eating out of her hand. Anne Hathaway was crying, Jennifer Aniston was crying, we were at home on our couch crying. Okay, yes, her speech was... long, and maybe a little dull. But she's Barbra — she has earned the right to bore us. Even so, our hearts belong to her.

04 of 05

BEST AND WORST: Fran Drescher, Prophet of the AI Apocalypse

Fran Drescher at the SAG Awards 2024 — Fran Drescher at the 2024 SAG Awards.
Netflix

Look, as the president of SAG-AFTRA — a union that endured a 118-day long strike and came away with “a historic” new contract in December — you can’t blame Fran Drescher for continuing her victory lap on the SAG Awards stage. But her speech took an unexpected turn into doomsaying at about the halfway point. “AI WILL ENTRAP US IN A MATRIX WHERE NONE OF US KNOW WHAT’S REAL,” she boomed. “Dystopian stories can also become self-fulfilling prophecy.” She’s not wrong, of course. And she did end her speech by making a little heart with her hands. But Drescher’s decision to issue this ominous warning at an awards show where everyone just wants to drink champagne and take home prizes had real “Ma’am, this is a Wendy’s” energy.

05 of 05

BEST: Pedro and his pirate shirt living their best lives

Pedro Pascal at the SAG Awards 2024 — Pedro Pascal at the 2024 SAG Awards.
Netflix

"I'm a little drunk," announced The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal while accepting his award for Male Actor in a Drama Series. "Uh... I thought I could get drunk." It's not a good awards show until a likable, authentically nervous star gives a loopy, emotional, and delightfully chaotic speech. "I'm gonna have a panic attack and I'm gonna leave" is how the actor ended his speech. But Pascal's reign of silliness continued backstage. When Tan France asked him whether he planned to lord his victory over his (fake) awards-season rival Kieran Culkin, Pascal replied, "I'm gonna make out with Kieran." Like we said, the man is living his best life.

Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best in TV.

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