The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards made a huge change ahead of the 2026 ceremony airing on Netflix in March 2026.
Acting Union SAG-AFTRA announced in November 2025 that it was changing the name of its annual gala to The Actor Awards because its “iconic statuette has always been called The Actor” for more than 30 years.
The organization promised at the time that the “legacy and prestige” of The Actor Awards “remains exactly the same” despite the rebranding.
“We’re excited to evolve the name to further support who we are and the future growth of the show,” a SAG spokesperson said at the time.
Keep scrolling for more information about The Actor Awards rebranding and how to watch this year’s ceremony:
Why Were the SAG Awards Renamed The Actor Awards?
In November 2025, acting union SAG-AFTRA announced the SAG Awards would be renamed The Actor Awards for 2026. According to the union, this change was made to more closely align the ceremony with its “iconic statuette,” which has been called The Actor for the past 32 years.
“We wanted to provide clearer recognition in terms of what the show is about for our domestic and global audiences — we honor actors in film and television,” executive producer Jon Brockett and SAG-AFTRA’s Awards Committee Chair JoBeth Williams explained via the union’s website. “Laser-focusing the name on those two things became the clearest and most straightforward path for this new chapter of the show.”
SAG-AFTRA maintained that the rebranding “has been a long time coming,” especially now that Netflix streams The Actor Awards live to a worldwide audience.
“The show’s spirit and purpose will remain the same — it’s still actors honoring actors — only the show name is evolving,” Brockett and Williams vowed. “The refreshed name will help introduce it to new audiences globally.”
The numbering of the annual award shows will not change. For example, the 2026 iteration is being referred to as the 32nd Actor Awards despite being the first under the new branding.
Organizers acknowledge that many past Actor Award recipients will “still refer to their award and the show as the SAG Awards.”
“That’s OK,” Brockett and Williams added. “We know it’ll take time to adjust to the change.”
Who Votes on The Actor Awards?
According to SAG-AFTRA, The Actor Awards are “the only top industry honors where actors vote on actors” and where all the awards go to actors. More than 118,000 SAG-AFTRA members are eligible to vote.
The voting window officially opens on January 14, 2026, and closes at noon PT on February 27, 2026.
When Are the 2026 Actor Awards?
The 32nd Actor Awards will be held March 1, 2026, at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles. It will be one of the last major stops on the 2026 award season calendar before the Oscars take place on March 15.
Who Is Hosting the 2026 Actor Awards?
No host has been announced as of January 2026.
Who Is Nominated for the 2026 Actor Awards?
Abbott Elementary’s Janelle James and Heated Rivalry’s Connor Storrie announced the nominees for the 32nd Actor Awards on January 7, 2026.
On the film side, Leonardo DiCaprio’s political drama One Battle After Another broke an all-time record with seven nominations, including nods for Outstanding Lead Performance by a Male and Female Actor for DiCaprio and Chase Infiniti, respectively. Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn and Teyana Taylor received nominations in the supporting categories, while the whole ensemble is up for Outstanding Performance by a Cast against the stars of Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme and Sinners.
DiCaprio faces stiff competition in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role race, as he’s up against Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), Michael B. Jordan (Sinners) and Jesse Plemons (Bugonia). Nominees in the Best Actress category are Infiniti (One Battle After Another) Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue) and Emma Stone (Bugonia).
Meanwhile, Seth Rogen’s The Studio leads on the TV side with five total nominations. The Studio faces stiff competition from Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Hacks and Only Murders in the Building to win Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. The Diplomat, Landman, The Pitt, Severance and The White Lotus are nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
A full list of nominees can be found here.
Aside from its competitive cards, The Actor Awards will present Hollywood legend Harrison Ford with its SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award.
“I am deeply honored to be chosen as this year’s recipient of the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award,” Ford said in December 2025. “To be acknowledged by my fellow actors means a great deal to me. I’ve spent most of my life on film sets, working alongside incredible actors and crews, and I’ve always felt grateful to be part of this community.”
Ford follows in the footsteps of previous SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award recipients Jane Fonda, Barbra Streisand and Morgan Freeman, among others.
Where Can You Watch the 2026 Actor Awards?
The 32nd Actor Awards will stream live exclusively on Netflix Sunday, March 1, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET.
