Why the SAG Awards Changed Its Name to the Actor Awards
Why the SAG Awards Changed Its Name to the Actor Awards
Tommy McArdleSun, March 1, 2026 at 10:53 PM UTC
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Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty -
The Screen Actors Guild Awards are embracing a new name — the Actor Awards — for its 32nd annual ceremony on Sunday, March 1
SAG-AFTRA wrote on its website that "the timing felt right to make the alignment official and step confidently into the show’s next era"
The 2026 Actor Awards will stream on Netflix, with Kristen Bell as host
The show formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards has a new look for its 32nd annual ceremony.
Now known as the Actor Awards, the ceremony will stream live on Netflix starting at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 1.
SAG-AFTRA explained on the awards show's website that it changed its name "to better reflect its true spirit and position as the only industry honor given to actors, by actors."
"The new name, The Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA, is inspired by both our iconic statuette, The Actor, and the power of human performance," the website reads. "Nothing about what makes the show special is changing. The Actor Awards remain exclusively voted on by SAG-AFTRA members. The categories remain the same, and the night remains ours as a gathering of actors honoring actors."
"Since the show’s inception, the statuette has been called The Actor, and, as the show’s global audience expanded through Netflix, the timing felt right to make the alignment official and step confidently into the show’s next era," the website adds.
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SAG-AFTRA announced that it was changing the SAG Awards' name to the Actor Awards in November 2025.
"Since the show started over 30 years ago, our iconic statuette has always been called The Actor, and simply evolving the show’s name to align with the award itself made obvious sense," the union wrote in a release at that time.
"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. Laser-focusing the name on those two things became the clearest and most straightforward path for this new chapter of the show."
One Battle After Another leads all movies nominated at the Actor Awards with seven total nominations. Sinners has five nominations as well. On the TV side, The Studio leads with five total nods, while Adolescence and The White Lotus both received four.
The 2026 Actor Awards, hosted by Kristen Bell, will stream live on Netflix. This year’s Life Achievement Award honoree is Harrison Ford. Follow along with PEOPLE's coverage here.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
