Hollywood stars have long used award ceremonies to make powerful political statements. The 2025 Emmy Awards were no exception. This year, several actors made a strong statement by wearing a red pin in support of Artists4Ceasefire, a campaign urging an immediate end to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. Among the celebrities who displayed solidarity with Palestine were Megan Stalter, Javier Bardem, Hannah Einbinder, Aimee Lou Wood, Ruth Negga, Chris Perfetti and Lucia Aniello. Besides wearing the red pin, Stalter also carried a sign that read, “Ceasefire!” on her bag.
The No Country For Old Men actor told the media on the red carpet, “How many hundreds of thousands of dead children need to suffer for people to wake up/ Film Workers for Palestine do not target any individuals based on identity. Film Workers for Palestine target those complicit film companies and institutions that are whitewashing or justifying Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”
Talking to Variety, he further stated, “Here I am today, denouncing the genocide in Gaza. I am talking about the IAGS, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, who study genocide thoroughly and has declared it is a genocide. That’s why we ask for a commercial and diplomatic blockade and also sanctions on Israel to stop the genocide. Free Palestine.”
Megan Stalter shared, “It’s important with a platform to speak out. It’s the most important thing in the world to have peace. I can’t not say something, and I feel like it’s more important than anything about my look, whether I’m in a big gown or jeans. It’s really important to speak out about those things that are really horrifying.”
Meanwhile, Hacks actress Hannah Einbinder mentioned Gaza in her award acceptance speech. She won the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Hacks. The actress noted, “Finally, I just want to say: Go Birds, f**k ICE, and free Palestine.” (The Birds mention was a nod to the Eagles, who defeated the Kansas City Chiefs recently) However, the ‘f**ck ICE’ portion from her speech was censored during the telecast.
“We don’t target people by their identity. That’s absolutely wrong; nobody said that,” Bardem said. “We target film companies and institutions that are complicit and are whitewashing or justifying Israel’s genocide and its apartheid regime. That’s what we’re targeting—not to stand with those who oppress people.”
While talking with Variety on the red carpet, Bardem said that he was “hopeful” for a brighter future in these incredibly bleak times: “There have been so many deaths and children being murdered that the world is waking up.”
Not every political moment at the Emmys had to do with Israel and Palestine. After being introduced by This Is Us star Justin Hartley, the chairman of the Television Academy, Cris Abrego, shed light on the recent shuttering of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “At the end of this year, CPB will close its doors because Congress has voted to defund it,” Abrego said, to loud boos from the audience. Abrego went on to remind viewers of television’s ability to “bend that arc of history towards justice.”
“Neutrality is not enough. We must be voices for connection, inclusion, empathy,” he continued. “We know that culture doesn’t come from the top down; it rises from the bottom up. Culture belongs to the people. So if our industry is to thrive, we need to make room for more voices, not fewer.”
The political moment of the evening, however, belonged to Stephen Colbert. The host of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on CBS received a standing ovation as he presented the first award of the evening. A vocal critic of President Donald Trump, Colbert’s top-rated late-night show was shockingly canceled by CBS as the network’s parent company, Paramount, waited for the Federal Communications Commission to greenlight a multibillion-dollar merger with Skydance. “Is anyone hiring?” Colbert quipped before shouting out the 200 Late Show staff members who will be out of a job after his late-night series comes to an end in May.
Members of other late-night programs spread the love to Colbert, like the team from Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, who took home the award for outstanding writing for a variety series. Senior writer Daniel O’Brien opened his speech by saying, “We share this category with all writers of late-night political comedy—while that is still a type of show that’s allowed to exist.”
The love in the room for Colbert and his program was palpable even before The Late Show was announced as the winner of outstanding talk series. After that envelope was opened, Colbert received the loudest applause of the night as well as the biggest standing ovation of the evening. As Colbert made his way onto the stage, there were audible chants of “Stephen! Stephen!” filling the room.
As was foretold in Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” music video, in which Christopher Walken danced to a line from Dune (“Walk without rhythm, It won’t attract the worm”), the actor would be destined to join Frank Herbert’s sci-fi universe in Denis Villeneuve’s acclaimed adaptation. In fact, Dune: Part Twobrought Walken out of a four-year acting break.
Denis Villeneuve on Ending Dune: Part Two That Way
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Walken discussed why he took on the role of the formidable Emperor who sets in motion the fall and rise of House Atreides in Dune. “I had, of course, seen the first Dune a number of times. I loved it, and I admired [Villeneuve’s] movies. Arrival, I thought, was wonderful. And to be with all those terrific actors—Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin, Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh, and Stellan Skarsgård—and to go to Budapest, which is a beautiful city. And of course, that’s what I do for a living. It was only, I think, three weeks. So, everything about it was attractive,” he said to the magazine.
Walken, who had somehow not yet been scooped up by a sci-fi epic, also revealed that he was almost in Star Wars but the timing wasn’t right. “I think it was for Han Solo,” Walken shared. “Yes, I auditioned for it. And if I’m not mistaken, my partner in the audition was—I think this is true—it was Jodie Foster. I think we did a screen test. I’m not sure we did a scene. Maybe we just sat in front of, in those days, those old videotape cameras… I did audition for Star Wars, but so did about 500 other actors. It was lots of people doing that.” But as was fated by “Weapon of Choice,” Walken was all along meant to be the Emperor in Dune.
Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, and Timothee Chalamet (from left) in Dune. Ryan Stetz/HBO
Whether you want surprisingly funny family dramas, international excellence, or a refresher on one of the decade’s biggest sci-fi franchises, you’re in luck. From indies to blockbusters, these are the titles you need to watch before they leave streaming this month.
What’s leaving Netflix
The Farewell
While Lulu Wang’s star-studded series Expatsis still unfurling, why not watch the movie that catapulted the director into the mainstream? The Farewell stars Awkwafina as Billi, an aspiring writer who’s struggling to find work and her place as a Chinese American woman. When she hears that her beloved grandmother, Nai Nai, has been diagnosed with cancer, though, she drops everything to go see her in China. However, there’s another issue: the family is keeping Nai Nai’s diagnosis a secret from her, and a reluctant Billi must do so too. The Farewellwill be available to stream until February 29th.
Dune
After a lengthy, strike-related delay, Dune: Part Two is finally on the horizon. The second installment of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic (out March 1st) features a sprawling cast (with new additions Austin Butler and Florence Pugh) on top of a dense mythos, so there’s no time like the present to catch up by watching Dune. Timothée Chalamet stars as Paul, heir to the House Atreides within the galactic empire, who must contend with political threats to his father (Oscar Isaac) and strange trials courtesy of his mother (Rebecca Ferguson). Along the way, he encounters friends and foes alike, played by Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Jason Momoa, and Josh Brolin. Dunestreams through the end of the month.
What’s leaving Hulu
Paddington
As winter truly begins to wear on us all, it’s the perfect time to watch some of the coziest movies of the 21st century. Paddington and its sequel are the rare family movie franchise to truly appeal to all ages, from the title bear’s expertly animated cuddliness to the A-list actors who get to play cartoonish villains (Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, the latter in a BAFTA-nominated performance). Though sweet little Paddington gets himself into quite the precarious predicaments, his mantra of “if we’re kind and polite, the world will be right” always holds true. Paddingtonstreams until the end of the month, while Paddington 2is available through February 26th.
What’s leaving Max
Drive My Car
Layered, lengthy, and packed with a lot of languages, Drive My Car is one of the most daring dramas of the decade so far. The film follows a theater actor and director who discovers his wife’s infidelity before her untimely death. Bereft and unmoored, he decides to accept a theater residency that will have him directing a multilingual production of Uncle Vanya. Ultimately, it’s a movie about understanding, and how we may never be able to achieve it when it comes to those we love. Everything about the film is superb, and there’s a reason why the movie was nominated for four Oscars. Drive My Carstreams through the end of the month.
What’s leaving Peacock
Five Nights at Freddy’s
One of last year’s biggest horror hits is departing streaming later this month. Five Nights at Freddy’s became a smash success when it was released in theaters and on Peacock last October, bringing the thrills from the beloved video game to screens both big and small. Josh Hutcherson stars as Mike, a man so desperate for a job that he takes on a gig as a nighttime security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a family pizzeria-slash-arcade with plenty of skeletons in its supply closets. Before long, things begin to go bump in the night, leaving Mike to solve a decades-old mystery. Five Nights at Freddy’sstreams through February 25th.
The Descendants
While The Holdoverscurrently stands as a favorite at the Oscars, it’s far from the first time that filmmaker Alexander Payne has seen success with the Academy. In fact, he won his second Oscar in 2012 for The Descendants, a complex family dramedy. George Clooney stars as Matt, a man who’s inherited and attained great wealth (including a large swath of land in Hawaii), but all of that stability vanishes when his wife gets in an accident that leaves her comatose. He must grapple with his role as a cousin, a husband and a father to his two daughters (Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller). The Descendantsstreams through the end of the month.
What to Watchis a regular endorsement of movies and TV worth your streaming time.
