Critics Choice Awards 2026 are in the headlines due to their food menu. The event was a successful one with actors bagging some huge honors. This included Timothée Chalamet winning the best actor trophy with Jessie Buckley sweeping in the actress category. Now, the function is being criticized online for its food options.
Critics Choice Awards ‘snack plate’ goes viral for a reason
New York Times columnist Kyle Buchanan took to his X account to share a photo of the food served at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards. He wrote in the caption, “Hello from the Critics Choice Awards and our dinner, this snack plate.” The plate included a few crackers, small bunches of grapes, cheese wedges, hummus, spanakopita, caprese skewers, and dried apricots.
Moreover, the official awards page joked about the catering. They wrote, “Not Best Picture food, but definitely a memorable night. If the jokes are landing, we’ll call it a win.” Soon, fans began reacting to the food plate with one saying, “This is what they’re feeding you?!” Another wrote, “Is this dinner??” Users also quoted the page’s post, with one stating, “All this says is that y’all have a limited food budget.” Another user shared, “It’s a snack plate… this economy is hitting everyone…”
The discussion also reached Reddit, where one joked, “This looks like it was purchased for $14 on a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Houston.” A second user commented, “I seriously thought this was a United airlines food post. Except theirs looks better.” Additionally, Janelle James took a dig at the snack while accepting her trophy. She said in her speech, “The best thing about being nominated 4 times is I finally realized they’re never gonna feed us at this thing.” James added, “It’s gonna be grapes and ice cream every year, but this makes up for it!”
For the uninformed, the award’s menu was also questioned in the 2024 event. Oprah Winfrey, Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, and Taraji P. Henson were seen receiving bagged pizza. In a viral clip, Barrin asked, “Where are the lamb chops?” As such, Winfrey said, “I’m not messing up my lips!”
Originally reported by Ritika Singh for RealityTea.
