SZA, Tracee Ellis Ross, Hota Kotb, Anderson Cooper, John Slattery, Sharon Horgan, Tobe Nwigwe, Shigetaka Kurita Participated in the Star-Studded Ceremony
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Highlights – 5-Word Speeches:
“The internet scares me, thanks!” – SZA
“You ain’t seen nothing yet.” – Tracee Ellis Ross
“Listen, love, love, love. BYE!” – Hoda Kotb
“All there is, is love.” – Anderson Cooper
“Pay writers what they deserve.” – Sharon Horgan
“You are smart, trust yourself.” – Vitus “V” Spehar
😊🤝🌎🤝😊 – Shigetaka Kurita
Watch the best moments from The Webby Awards at #Webbys across social media and at www.youtube.com/thewebbyawards
NEW YORK, May 15, 2023 – Tonight, the 27th Annual Webby Awards honored the year’s biggest Internet visionaries and activists with a star-studded ceremony. This year’s ceremony saw the return of The Daily Show’s Roy Wood Jr. as host and included iconic Webby 5-Word Speeches by the likes of singer SZA; actress and activist, Tracee Ellis Ross; Today Show anchor Hoda Kotb; journalist Anderson Cooper; inventor of the emoji Shigetaka Kurita; actress Sharon Horgan; musician Tobe Nwigwe; and Under the Desk News’ Vitus Spehar, among others.
“NOTHING BUT WINNERS IN THE BUILDING!!” Roy Wood Jr. exclaimed as he kicked off the show. Fresh off his week hosting The Daily Show and the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Wood Jr. warned the crowd that he does not know who will take Trevor Noah’s place. Throughout the night, he set the audience on fire, hilariously riffing about the Chinese spy balloons, the metaverse, AI-generated music, Silicon Valley Bank, and everything in between. He even broke out in song to say goodbye to Twitter’s iconic blue check.
The Webbys highlighted two important social movements, including the protests in Iran and Black Lives Matter. Iranian American actress Nazanin Nour presented a moment highlighting the revolution led by women in Iran who are fighting for their fundamental human rights and protesting the brutal killing of Mahsa Amini. George Floyd’s sister, Bridgett Floyd, accepted an Award on behalf of the Ad Council and R/GA for the Gentle Giant Campaign.
Webby Awards President Claire Graves delivered remarks congratulating winners on their achievements and recognizing the viral Internet moments this year that gave us “That Feeling.” “By making us collectively smile, laugh, cry and dance, you’ve connected us and reminded us of our shared humanity.”
Additional highlights from this year’s Webby Awards Show include:
Wyatt Cenac presented the Lifetime Achievement Webby Award to Shigetaka Kurita, the creator of the emoji, for his significant contribution to the cultural zeitgeist and impact on the way we communicate. He broke ground with the first ever 5 emoji acceptance speech highlighting how the emojis connect people around the world.
😊🤝🌎🤝😊
SZA received the Webby Artist of The Year for her instant classic SOS, the authentic intention and consideration she injects into her work, and for her genius use of the Internet to share unique, brilliantly-honest art. She accepted the award from choreographer Parris Goebel, saying, “The internet scares me, thanks!”
Tracee Ellis Ross accepted the Webby Special Achievement Award for her ingenious use of the Internet to share multidimensional stories of belonging, increase Black representation in the beauty industry, and serve as a constant, positive force. The beloved actress and comedian-turned-CEO used her speech to give insight into her future – “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Hoda Kotb accepted the Webby Award for Individual Episodes-Interview/Talk Show, presented by Wilmer Valderrama, for her inspiring interview with Viola Davis on her podcast Making Space with Hoda Kotb. In her speech, she said, “Listen, love, love, love. BYE!”
Renowned musician DJ Jazzy Jeff presented the Special Achievement Webby Award to Grammy-nominee Tobe Nwigwe for his innovative use of the Internet to create art that is imaginative and poignant as seen in his album moMINTS and his role as ‘Nick’ in the Netflix series Mo. “A real ni**a won HA”
Actor John Slattery presented the Webby Award for Best Actress to his former Modern Love collaborator Sharon Horgan for capturing the Internet’s attention with her acclaimed Apple TV+ show Bad Sisters, which she created, executive produced, and starred in, and for her incredible career as a voice of radical self-awareness and razor sharp wit. Horgan used her 5 word speech to advocate for her fellow writers, pleading, “Pay writers what they deserve.”
Lizz Winstead presented the Webby Special Achievement Award to Under the Desk News’ Vitus “V” Spehar for making the news accessible and understandable to young people through their candid, hard-hitting and synoptic reporting, all done in bite-sized pieces on TikTok. Ever so inspiring, V told the audience “You are smart. Trust yourself.”
Other notable 5-Word Speeches include:
“This is for the Bronx.” – Kerry Washington
“I have no words. F***.” – Gordon Ramsey
“Watch your words, they’re powerful.” – David Free
“Have kids, start a podcast.” – Kailyn Lowry and Vee Riviera
“Find a rule to break.” – BASIC/DEPT®
See all the best moments from last night’s show on social media by searching #Webbys, and at www.youtube.com/thewebbyawards
You can find the full list of Webbys winners here: https://winners.webbyawards.com/winners
Find The Webby Awards Online:
Website: webbyawards.com
Instagram: @thewebbyawards
Twitter: @TheWebbyAwards
TikTok: @thewebbyawards
Linkedin: The Webby Awards
Facebook: Facebook.com/TheWebbyAwards
YouTube: youtube.com/thewebbyawards
About The Webby Awards:
Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites and Mobile Sites; Video; Advertising, Media and PR; Apps, dApps & Software, Social; Podcasts; Games and Metaverse, Immersive & Virtual. Established in 1996, The Webby Awards received nearly 14,000 entries from all 50 states and over 70 countries worldwide this year. The Webby Awards are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include Canva, WP Engine, Verizon, Omidyar Network, YouGov, NAACP, KPMG, Wall Street Journal, All Tech Is Human, Podcast Movement, AIGA, PUBLIC and Special Guest.