Last night was the 27th Annual Webby Awards Show, hosted by Roy Wood Jr.! The best of the Internet, all under one roof—the talent and expertise were unparalleled. It was a fitting toast to Webby Winners who gave us That Feeling.
It was a night to remember—from the extraordinary moment with Tracee Ellis Ross and SZA’s unfiltered speech to Sharon Horgan’s inspiring call to action and an homage to Emoji Creator Shigetaka Kurita’s pioneering work. Roy took the stage to deliver his hilarious monologue, even sparking a rivalry with AI. Plus, special appearances from Anderson Cooper, Tobe Nwigwe, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Parris Goebel, Hoda Kotb, Laurie Anderson, Dave Free, and more!
We’ve rounded up a few special moments below. For a close look into the show, follow @TheWebbyAwards on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok—and keep the celebrations going by using #Webbys.
Highlights from the Internet's Biggest Night
Watch the 27th Annual Webby Awards
Comedian and actor Wyatt Cenac honored digital maven Shigetaka Kurita with the Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for creating emojis in 1997. He was nothing but smiles onstage, and highlighted how emojis connect people around the world with the first-ever wordless 5-Word Speech: 😊🤝🌎🤝😊
SZA accepted the Webby Artist of the Year Award from visionary choreographer and collaborator Parris Goebel for wielding the Internet to share the brilliantly honest SOS, which instantly dominated charts and streaming. She remained true to herself, sharing how being online makes her feel: “The Internet scares me. Thanks!”
Tracee Ellis Ross accepted a Webby Special Achievement Award for expertly using the Internet to share multidimensional stories and advocate for increased Black representation in beauty. Being a social-savvy creative, she recorded her moment onstage while charmingly sharing her speech: “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Roy Wood Jr., coming straight from the White House Correspondents Dinner, set the audience on fire. He was incredible, hilariously riffing about the metaverse, AI-generated music, and everything in between. He even broke out in song to say goodbye to Twitter’s iconic blue check.
The multitalented Sharon Horgan received the Webby Best Actress Award from Mad Men’s John Slattery for captivating the Internet with her show Bad Sisters—which she created, executive produced, and starred in. Accepting her Webby with grace, she shared a call to action: “Pay writers what they deserve.”
Actress Nazanin Nour dedicated a heartfelt moment to the harrowing death of Mahsa Amini and the global protests that followed. Nour highlighted the role the Internet had in bringing important details about her death to light, which turned Amini’s name into a rallying cry for justice.
Vitus “V” Spehar of Under The Desk News accepted a Webby Special Achievement Award from The Daily Show creator Lizz Winstead for empowering young viewers to engage with the news through their synoptic reporting. Unsurprisingly, they used their onstage moment to affirm the audience to believe in themselves: “You are smart; trust yourself.”
The Grammy-nominated DJ Jazzy Jeff presented Tobe Nwigwe with a Webby Special Achievement Award for harnessing the Internet to create imaginative art. He bowed to his legendary presenter in his signature mint suit and grills and confidently told the audience exactly who won.
Watch his Unforgettable Speech
All There Is with Anderson Cooper was honored with a Webby for Best Series in Podcasts for thoughtfully exploring loss by renowned artist Laurie Anderson. With a shrug and a grin, he shared a key lesson from developing his podcast: “All there is, is love.”
Hoda Kotb of TODAY excitedly accepted a Webby Award from actor Wilmer Valderrama for her podcast Making Space, an audio journey of self-discovery, resilience and finding strength. Her message? “Listen, love, love, love. BYE!”
It all started with the Internet’s best walking the Webby Red Carpet—everyone from Tracee Ellis Ross, Sharon Horgan, Shigetaka Kurita, Tobe & Monica Fat Nwigwe, Wyatt Cenac, Myles Frost, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Tika the Iggy, and more! Dive into memorable moments from the carpet and get a peek into the behind-the-scenes action.
For a full recap of the night and a peek into the behind-the-scenes action, follow @TheWebbyAwards on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok!
