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Hollywood’s Grownup Moment: AARP Honors 2026 Movies for Grownups® Winners and Celebrates Adam Sandler
Hosted by Alan Cumming, the event featured appearances by Will Arnett, Kathy Bates, Susan Blakely, Jessie Buckley, George Clooney, Ryan Coogler, Scott Cooper, Alan Cumming, Guillermo del Toro, Laura Dern, Jacob Elordi, Elle Fanning, R. Scott Gemmill, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas Inga, Chase Infiniti, Delroy Lindo, Wendie Malick, Paul Mescal, Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, Wunmi Mosaku, Michael Nouri, Edward James Olmos, Jesse Plemons, Renate Reinsve, Jason Ritter, Adam Sandler, Amanda Seyfried, Jane Seymour, Stellan Skarsgård, Sharon Stone, Guillermo del Toro, Henry Winkler, Noah Wyle, Chloé Zhao, and more.
Video highlights and downloadable photo assets are available here:
VIDEOS
PHOTOS
LOS ANGELES — AARP today recognized the winners of the annual Movies for Grownups® Awards, honoring standout films and television projects that celebrate the voices, creativity, and stories of people 50 and older. Honorees from Frankenstein, Is This Thing On?, Jay Kelly, Matlock, One Battle After Another, Sentimental Value, Sinners, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, The Pitt, and more were in attendance. Hamnet was awarded Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups while Adam Sandler was honored with the Movies for Grownups Career Achievement Award for his enduring impact and versatility as one of Hollywood’s most influential performers.
Adam Sandler received the Movies for Grownups Career Achievement Award and brought down the house with a tongue-in-cheek "top ten" list of signs he’s officially growing up. Henry Winkler, a longtime friend of Sandler since being immortalized in his original Hannukah song, reflected on Sandler’s unwavering loyalty and genuine character, qualities that have defined their decades-long bond.
For more than 20 years, AARP’s Movies for Grownups has championed authentic storytelling for and by people 50-plus. The franchise advocates for the 50-plus audience, challenges industry ageism, and champions films and television that resonate with older viewers. By celebrating the creativity and experience of seasoned actors and filmmakers, Movies for Grownups continue to elevate stories that reflect the richness of life at every age.
“Powerful storytelling has no age limit – and tonight’s honorees show what is possible when talent and experience define the stories we see on screen,” said Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, CEO of AARP. “Our latest research shows why this work matters: 81% of adults (18-plus) say what they see on screen shapes how society views getting older. When artists and creators tell honest, multidimensional stories about people over 50, audiences across generations connect with them – and that connection is driving change. These honorees are challenging the narrative around aging in Hollywood, pushing back against ageism, and setting a new standard for what storytelling can, and should, look like.”
Chloé Zhao, Paul Mescal, and Jessie Buckley accepted the award for Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups for Hamnet, and Noah Wyle and R. Scott Gemmill accepted Best TV Series or Limited Series for The Pitt.
George Clooney, honored as Best Actor for Jay Kelly, and Noah Wyle, recognized as Best TV Actor for The Pitt, shared a heartfelt moment by presenting awards to one another, a nod to their longtime friendship and collaboration that began on the iconic series ER.
Clooney reflected on his latest role in Jay Kelly, saying, “I couldn’t believe my luck that I got to play the part... This film was made by people who love actors.” Wyle added that The Pitt has given him the chance to thrive at this stage of his life, underscoring how opportunities can emerge and evolve over time.
The theme of gratitude was echoed throughout the evening. Best Actress winner Laura Dern, honored for Is This Thing On?, spoke about legacy and privilege of storytelling: “My parents taught me... we are lucky and blessed to be part of this industry. It is an extraordinary gift not to be wasted.”
Kathy Bates, who received Best TV Actress for Matlock, dedicated her award to her mother and reflected on how opportunities continue to evolve, even at the age of 77. “Thank the good Lord, week after week, especially older women who have reached out to share how empowered they are to finally be able to feel seen in their own lives,” she said.
These moments captured the spirit of the Movies for Grownups Awards and the mood of the room, of laughing and crying and telling stories about all ages and stages of their lives.
Jacob Elordi presented the Best Director award to Guillermo del Toro for Frankenstein, saying, “It’s really special to be here tonight to present the AARP Award for Best Director to someone I’ve long admired, Guillermo del Toro.” He continued, “With Frankenstein, Guillermo returns to a story he’s carried with him for decades. This version isn’t about spectacle. It’s about responsibility – about what it means to create something and what happens when you don’t take care of it.”
Today’s event, hosted by Alan Cumming, the Tony and Emmy Award-winning host of the widely lauded competition show The Traitors, will be broadcast by Great Performances on Sunday, February 22, 2026, at 7/6c on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/moviesforgrownups and the PBS app.
The annual Movies for Grownups Awards raises funds for AARP Foundation, which works to strengthen financial resilience for and with older adults — in Los Angeles and across the country — by empowering individuals and improving systems.
For more information, visit www.aarp.org/MoviesforGrownups.
The complete list of the annual Movies for Grownups Awards with AARP Nominees and Winners:
Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups: Winner: Hamnet
- Nominees: Hamnet, A House of Dynamite, One Battle After Another, Sinners, Train Dreams.
Best Actress: Winner: Laura Dern (Is This Thing On?)
- Nominees: Laura Dern (Is This Thing On?), Jodie Foster (A Private Life), Lucy Liu (Rosemead), Julia Roberts (After the Hunt), and June Squibb (Eleanor the Great).
Best Actor: Winner: George Clooney (Jay Kelly)
- Nominees: George Clooney (Jay Kelly), Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), and Dwayne Johnson (The Smashing Machine).
Best Supporting Actress: Winner: Regina Hall (One Battle After Another)
- Nominees: Regina Hall (One Battle After Another), Amy Madigan (Weapons), Helen Mirren (Goodbye June), Gwyneth Paltrow (Marty Supreme), and Sigourney Weaver (Avatar: Fire and Ash).
Best Supporting Actor: Winner: Delroy Lindo (Sinners)
- Nominees: Benicio del Toro (One Battle After Another), Delroy Lindo (Sinners), Sean Penn (One Battle After Another), Michael Shannon (Nuremberg), and Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value).
Best Director: Winner: Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein)
- Nominees: Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another), Kathryn Bigelow (A House of Dynamite), Scott Cooper (Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere), Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein), and Spike Lee (Highest 2 Lowest).
Best Screenwriter: Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
- Nominees: Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another), Noah Baumbach and Emily Mortimer (Jay Kelly), Bradley Cooper, Will Arnett, and Mark Chappell (Is This Thing On?), Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale), and James Vanderbilt (Nuremberg).
Best Ensemble: Winner: One Battle After Another
- Nominees: A House of Dynamite, Jay Kelly, Nuremberg, One Battle After Another, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
Best Intergenerational Film: Winner: Sentimental Value
- Nominees: Eleanor the Great, The Lost Bus, Rental Family, Rosemead, Sentimental Value.
Best Period Film: Winner: Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
- Nominees: Dead Man’s Wire, Marty Supreme, Nuremberg, Sinners, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.
Best Documentary: Winner: My Mom Jayne
- Nominees: Becoming Led Zeppelin, Cover Up, My Mom Jayne, Riefenstahl, Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost.
Best Foreign-Language Film: Winner: Sentimental Value
- Nominees: It Was Just an Accident, No Other Choice, Nouvelle Vague, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value.
Best TV Series or Limited Series: Winner: The Pitt
- Nominees: Adolescence, Hacks, The Pitt, The Studio, The White Lotus.
Best Actor (TV): Winner: Noah Wyle (The Pitt)
- Nominees: Walton Goggins (The White Lotus), Stephen Graham (Adolescence), Gary Oldman (Slow Horses), Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us), Noah Wyle (The Pitt).
Best Actress (TV): Winner: Kathy Bates (Matlock)
- Nominees: Kathy Bates (Matlock), Kathryn Hahn (The Studio), Catherine O’Hara (The Studio), Parker Posey (The White Lotus), Jean Smart (Hacks).
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Movies for Grownups® Awards with AARP Philanthropic Goals
The annual Movies for Grownups® Awards raises funds for AARP Foundation, AARP’s affiliated charity, which works for and with older adults to increase economic opportunity by creating pathways to work, expanding access to financial support, mobilizing volunteer-driven community service, and advancing legal advocacy so that everyone can age with dignity and purpose.
About AARP
AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the 125 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health and financial security, and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest-circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/about-aarp/, www.aarp.org/español or follow @AARP, @AARPLatino and @AARPadvocates on social media.
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The WNET Group creates inspiring media content and meaningful experiences for diverse audiences nationwide. It is the community-supported home of New York’s THIRTEEN – America’s flagship PBS station – WLIW, THIRTEEN PBS KIDS, WLIW World and Create; NJ PBS, New Jersey’s statewide public television network; Long Island’s only NPR station WLIW-FM; ALL ARTS, the arts and culture media provider; newsroom NJ Spotlight News; and FAST channel PBS Nature. Through these channels and streaming platforms, The WNET Group brings arts, culture, education, news, documentary, entertainment, and DIY programming to more than five million viewers each month. The WNET Group’s award-winning productions include signature PBS series Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, and Amanpour and Company and trusted local news programs like NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi. Inspiring curiosity and nurturing dreams, The WNET Group’s award-winning Kids’ Media and Education team produces the PBS KIDS series Cyberchase, interactive Mission US history games, and resources for families, teachers and caregivers. A leading nonprofit public media producer for more than 60 years, The WNET Group presents and distributes content that fosters lifelong learning, including initiatives addressing poverty, jobs, economic opportunity, social justice, understanding, and the environment. Through Passport, station members can stream new and archival programming anytime, anywhere. The WNET Group represents the best in public media. Join us.
Media Contact: Paola Groom, Movies for Grownups® Awards with AARP, pgroom@aarp.org
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