Pete Davidson, Shonda Rhimes, Druski, Kylie Kelce, Taraji P. Henson, Keith Lee, The Try Guys, Atsuko Okatsuka, Waymo, James Gerde, PBS, and More Honored at the 30th Annual Webby Awards
Josh Johnson Brought Comedic Gold as Host of the “Internet’s Biggest Night”
Machine Gun Kelly, Jack Harlow, Jerrod Carmichael, Brian Stelter, Tony Goldwyn, Derrick Johnson, Mike Polner, Marcus Samuelsson, Zarna Garg, and More Presented During the Industry’s Iconic Celebration of the Internet
**Portraits HERE**
***CREDIT: JAMES HARTLEY***
**Full Press Images HERE**
**Video Reel HERE**
***CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES FOR THE WEBBY AWARDS***
Highlights – 5-Word Speeches:
“I am just getting started.” – Shonda Rhimes
“Simply put, humans need humans.” – Taraji P. Henson
“Thanks, I’m still dead inside.” – Pete Davidson
“Thanks to my makeup artist.” – Druski
“Fo sho, you’re right on, amen.” – Keith Lee
“Women supporting women. Go Birds.” – Kylie Kelce
“We taught the internet everything.” – PBS
“Waymo loves New York City.” – Waymo
Watch the best moments from The Webby Awards at @TheWebbyAwards across social media and at webbyawards.com
NEW YORK, May 11, 2026 – Tonight, the 30th Annual Webby Awards honored the year’s biggest creators, innovators, Internet icons, and visionaries with a legendary ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. The award show was hosted by comedian, writer, and creator Josh Johnson, and featured signature Webby 5-Word Acceptance Speeches from Pete Davidson, Shonda Rhimes, Taraji P. Henson, Druski, Keith Lee, Kylie Kelce, James Gerde, PBS, The Try Guys, Atsuko Okatsuka, Don Lemon, Kendall Rae, Slick Rick, Joy Behar, and more. Presenters and attendees included Machine Gun Kelly, Jack Harlow, Jerrod Carmichael, Brian Stelter, Tony Goldwyn, Marcus Samuelsson, NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson, Mike Polner, VP of Creators at Adobe, and Zarna Garg, among others.
“The people here make you feel safe, seen, entertained, and joyful,” said host Josh Johnson while welcoming audiences to the 30th annual Webby Awards. Johnson kept the crowd laughing throughout his opening monologue, joking that the Webbys are “like the Oscars of videos people actually watch” while celebrating the memes, viral videos, and creators shaping Internet culture today. For the entire evening, Josh continued highlighting the online moments and personalities that defined the past year on the Internet, including the ones that represent “the memes and videos your mom will send you in four years.”
Webby Awards Executive Director Jesse Feister, now in his second year in this role, congratulated this year’s Winners, highlighting this year’s theme, “We Made It.” When talking about the expansion of Internet culture, he stated, “We didn’t get here by accident, we made it because again and again we found new ways to create, connect, and make things that matter to us.” He went on to highlight how “new technology is easily dismissed’ and creators weren’t considered real talent, until they were,” and then went on to give examples of this year’s Creator winners, exemplifying how they are continuing that tradition of creating culture.
Additional highlights from this year’s ceremony included:
Machine Gun Kelly presented Pete Davidson with a Webby Special Achievement Award for his singular voice in comedy and his impact across streaming, film, and digital culture including this year’s debut of hit podcast “The Pete Davidson Show” on Netflix. “Some of the most talented people make the most difficult things look easy,” said Machine Gun Kelly as he honored his close friend. When accepting his award, Pete joked, “Thanks, I’m still dead inside.”
Kylie Kelce received the Podcast of the Year Award for her show, “Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce,” presented by Jerrod Carmichael. When presenting her with the award, Jerrod complimented for having the “wit of a comic, passion of an athlete, and compassion of a mother.” In response, Kylie shared her acceptance: “Women supporting women. Go Birds.”
Jack Harlow honored Druski’s work as a creator shaping comedy on the Internet with a Webby Special Achievement Award, highlighting his “boundary pushing” social commentary and “domination of platforms.” When introducing him, Jack recalled meeting Druski in 2018 when he was living in Druski’s hometown in Atlanta. “His gift for comedy was evident, but I was just as drawn to his ambition,” Jack said, going into their experience touring together. Druski playfully accepted the award, noting, “Thanks to my makeup artist.”
Tony Goldwyn handed out the inaugural Webby Streaming Person of the Year Award to Shonda Rhimes, honoring her groundbreaking impact on the streaming era through her work as a writer, producer and CEO of Shondaland. “Shonda has always been an innovator, she has never been interested in doing things how other people do them.” Tony remarked as he welcomed Shonda to the stage. Shonda graciously accepted her award while telling the crowd, “I am just getting started.”
Taraji P. Henson accepted the Advocate of the Year Webby Award, presented by NAACP President Derrick Johnson, recognizing her “most impressive” work advancing mental health awareness, advocating for pay equity in entertainment, and leveraging her platform to champion underrepresented communities across the Internet and beyond. “Simply put, humans need humans,” Henson remarked as she took the stage to accept her award.
Marcus Samuelsson presented Keith Lee with a Webby Special Achievement Award, recognizing his impact on local communities and passion for helping small businesses stating, “He doesn’t chase the next cool thing in food, he defines it,” Marcus said. Keith then joined the stage to accept his award with his iconic, “Fo sho, you’re right on, amen.”
In celebration of the Webby’s Creator Category, Josh Johnson introduced The Try Guys as a featured Webby Award Winner, honoring their two wins for “Try Guys Try Ghost Hunting” (Best Creator-to-Creator Collaboration, Creator Excellence) and “Drop Into City” (Travel & Lifestyle, General Creator). The hosts, Keith Habersberger and Zach Kornfeld, made a pun of their name, saying, “We’ll never stop trying, f*ckers.” Josh then invited 10 other Webby-award winning creators to the stage to each give their five-word acceptance speech including: A Twink and a Redhead (Grant Gibbs & Ashley Gill), Anthony Po, Samyra Miller, Morning Brew (Dan Toomey), Dr. Rena Malik, Young Emperors, MattLovesHair, AntsCanada (Mikey Busto), Zarna & Zoya Garg, and CG5 (Charlie Green).
Also for the second year in a row, the Webbys partnered with Adobe, to present a Webby Special Achievement in Creative AI, to AI-native filmmaker and creator James Gerde for his innovative work redefining visual storytelling. When accepting his award, presented by Mike Polner, James stated, “Expression, it’s all we’ve got.”
Zarna Garg introduced Atsuko Okatsuka as a Featured Winner, declaring that “no American dream is complete without a Webby.” Atsuko added to the positive energy, stating, “Formally undocumented immigrant, current winner.”
Putting a close to the night, Brian Stelter presented PBS with the Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for their overall work as a media company and their 17 Webby and People’s Voice wins this year. “Nominated at the very first Webby awards, they have a 30 year streak of being Webby winners…and PBS continues to bridge the gap between the initiative and transformative,” Brian highlighted, to which PBS representatives proclaimed, “We taught the internet everything.”
The night ended on a high note with an afterparty at Marquee, with an exclusive one night only DJ set by Webby winner Vic Mensa.
Other notable 5-Word Speeches include:
- “Formerly undocumented immigrant, current winner.” – Atsuko Okatsuka (Comedian)
- “Everyone should have more orgasms.” – Rena Malik, MD (Creator)
- “Dont f*ck with the comedian.” – Joy Behart (Comedian/TV Personality)
- “Gaza, Congo, Sudan, Cuba, Iran.” – Vic Mensa (DJ)
- “Victory begins with fearless imagination” – Slick Rick (Rapper)
- “What an hour of joy” – CG5 (creator)
- “This bitch did it” – Zarna Garg (comedian)
In the weekend leading up to the event, the Webbys hosted their second annual Webby Creator Weekend at Elsie Rooftop in New York City. Presented by Adobe, the two-day event brought together creators, platforms, and brand leaders for programming centered on the evolution of Internet culture, creativity, and the growing creator economy. Speakers included Serena Kerrigan, Brandon B, Anania, Chris Klemens, Tiffany Baira, Michelladonna, and more, and fan favorite panels centered around topics like the Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest, creators’ role in developing the new talk shows, and a keynote with Grant Gibbs and Ashley Gill, the duo behind “A Twink and a Redhead.”
See all the best moments from last night’s show on social media by searching #Webbys, and at webbyawards.com.
For the full list of Webby Award winners, please visit: https://winners.webbyawards.com/winners
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 & PR; Apps & Software; Social; Games; Podcasts; Creators and AI. Established in 1996, The Webby Awards received over 13,000 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 Adobe, WP Engine, Meltwater, Patreon, ElevenLabs, Framer, Meta Lab, NAACP, KPMG, Wall Street Journal, Deadline,The Hollywood Reporter, SXSW, Scalable, and The Society of Digital Agencies.
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