SAG Awards 2018: The wins, the snubs, the questionable fashion choices

As many of you know, this weekend saw the 24th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards honoring the best achievements in film & TV performances for the past year and giving us a clearer idea of which stars should (and shouldn’t) be preparing their Oscar speeches. Sunday’s big winners would appear to outline the acting Oscar frontrunners, with Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour), Allison Janney (I, Tonya), Frances McDormand, and Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) all tripling down following recent wins at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards. However, as Variety pointed out, the Academy nominations have not yet been announced, meaning the race is far from over. On the TV side, last year's Emmy winner Veep bagged the award for Best Comedy Series Ensemble, while This Is Us was a surprise winner for Best Drama Series Ensemble. One of the show’s leads, Sterling K. Brown, made SAG history as the first black actor to win Best Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Randall Pearson. The man of the moment used his speech to signal to the #MeToo and Time’s Up crowds: “There is a responsibility that we have to make sure that our work environment is comfortable for all, because it’s not always about malicious and nastiness. Sometimes it’s about downright thoughtlessness, and we can all stand to be a bit more thoughtful.” Backstage, Brown admitted the cast were waiting to hear The Handmaid’s Tale announced instead, a reaction shared by many other audience members. The critics’ favorite and awards-show darling was one of the surprise snubs of the night, heading home empty-handed despite success at this year’s Critics’ Choice Awards and the Golden Globes. Other curveballs included Netflix’s Stranger Things, which scored 0/4 for the night, along with the cast from Greta Gerwig’s breakout indie Lady Bird being shown no love. Of course, with the year Hollywood’s had, it was no surprise the awards were dominated by support for the fight against sexual misconduct in Hollywood. Women took center stage at the ceremony, featuring its first-ever female host, Kristen Bell, and a team of all-female presenters. The twist was further evidence the #MeToo and Time's Up movements will remain a key focus of Hollywood's awards season. SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris told the audience: “Truth is power, and women are stepping into their power,” adding, “make no mistake: this is not a moment in time; this is a movement.” The men signaled hard, with Morgan Freeman desperately using his Lifetime Achievement Award speech to call out the SAG awards for its gender-specific statue. Damage control? We’ll see. One actor who didn’t show up to offer support to the movement was Aziz Ansari, in the wake of a recent article where an anonymous woman accused the actor of inappropriate sexual conduct. So while Ansari was nominated in the category of Outstanding Male Actor in a Comedy, the Master of None creator & star was not in the room. While the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements were honored by a dress code blackout at the Golden Globes, color returned to the red carpet for the SAG awards. Head over to Variety for its photo gallery of the best (and some of the questionably) dressed. The meaningless, self-congratulatory awards season has been strewn with meaningless virtue signaling (along with some genuine soul searching, thank goodness). Let the meaningless Oscars race commence!

Winners and Oscar Frontrunners

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Darkest Hour, I, Tonya, and the supporting players attached to those films claimed key categories at the 24th annual ceremony. The timing placed the SAG results squarely before Academy nominations were announced, giving voters an early read without locking in final outcomes. Gary Oldman, Allison Janney, Frances McDormand, and Sam Rockwell carried momentum from earlier Globes and Critics’ Choice wins into the Shrine Auditorium ballroom. Observers noted that the alignment between these wins and later Oscar recognition was strong, yet the gap between the two ceremonies left room for shifts in support.

TV Surprises and Snubs

The Handmaid’s Tale entered the night as a leading contender yet left without a single trophy despite earlier Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe recognition. Stranger Things finished 0-for-4 across its nominations, a sharp contrast to its cultural footprint at the time. Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig’s breakout indie, also went home empty despite critical praise and Globes success. Veep repeated as Best Comedy Series Ensemble while This Is Us claimed Best Drama Series Ensemble, with Sterling K. Brown securing the first win for a Black actor in the Outstanding Male Actor in a Drama Series category.

Movement Messaging and Speeches

The 2018 ceremony unfolded in the immediate aftermath of the Golden Globes blackout, and the emphasis on Time’s Up remained front and center. Kristen Bell became the first female host in SAG history, backed by an all-female team of presenters. Gabrielle Carteris addressed the room with the line “Truth is power, and women are stepping into their power,” framing the moment as a sustained movement rather than a passing phase. Brown used his acceptance speech to stress workplace responsibility, noting that discomfort often stems from thoughtlessness as much as malice. Morgan Freeman, accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award, used the platform to question the gender-specific design of the SAG statue itself.

Red Carpet and Fashion

Color returned to the SAG red carpet after the Golden Globes dress code, shifting the visual tone from unified black to a broader palette. Contemporary coverage from Variety and other outlets tracked both standout looks and the occasional questionable choice. The change underscored that the industry was not locked into a single visual statement, even as the underlying conversation about misconduct and accountability continued through speeches and presenter lineups.

Evolution of the Awards Brand

The awards carried the Screen Actors Guild name through the 2018 ceremony and for several years afterward. In November 2025 the organization announced a rebrand to Actor Awards, citing the need for clearer branding with both domestic and international audiences. The first ceremony under the new title took place March 1, 2026. The shift did not alter the core mission of recognizing ensemble work, yet it updated the public identity of an event long associated with the industry’s labor union.

Kristen Bell's Hosting Legacy

Bell’s 2018 appearance marked the first time a woman hosted the SAG ceremony. She returned to the stage for the 2026 Actor Awards, maintaining continuity across the rebrand. Her presence in both years linked the original emphasis on female leadership with later iterations of the show, even as the surrounding cultural conversation evolved.

Long-Term Impact of the #MeToo Era on Awards Shows

The all-female host and presenter roster in 2018 set a visible precedent that later ceremonies referenced when assembling stage teams. Ensemble categories continued to receive prominent placement, and safety protocols around workplace conduct became standard talking points during acceptance speeches. While the intensity of public focus shifted over time, the structural attention to inclusion and recognition of group performances remained consistent in subsequent years.

Sterling K. Brown's Career Trajectory Post-SAG Win

Brown’s 2018 win stood as the first time a Black actor received the Outstanding Male Actor in a Drama Series trophy at the SAG Awards. In the years that followed he maintained a steady presence in leading television roles, moving between dramatic series and limited-run projects. The historic milestone at the Shrine Auditorium remained a reference point in profiles that tracked his continued work on screen.