The 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards delivered several moments filled with laughter and cheers, as well as some powerful speeches. From Robby Hoffman’s ongoing jokes to Ego Nwodim’s opening monologue poking fun at Cher’s viral Grammys mistake, here are some of the most memorable moments from the Sunday afternoon awards ceremony honoring independent filmmaking.
Robby Hoffman Clears Up Claim After She “Didn’t Read the Script”
Robby Hoffman was the most frequent presenter at the 2026 Independent Spirit Awards, and in between delivering some of the most shining commentary on Sunday, she had to jokingly walk back a claim she made when introducing a grant recipient. The Hacks star hit the Hollywood Palladium stage to state the winners of the Spirit Awards‘ three grants: the Someone to Watch Award, the Truer Than Fiction Award and the Producers Award. While she was introducing the first honor, Hoffman joked that “you can spend the money how you want. I mean, what the hell do I care, right?” (Tatti Ribeiro, director of Valentina, earned the Someone to Watch Award last month.) When Hoffman returned to launch the Truer Than Fiction Award segment, she joked that “the reason I’m back is they told me you’re actually not allowed to use the money however you see fit on the last grant.” Read more. — McKinley Franklin
Ego Nwodim Pokes Fun at Cher’s Luther Vandross Grammys Flub
Ego Nwodim poked fun at Cher mistakenly naming the late Luther Vandross a winner at this year’s Grammys during her 2026 Independent Spirit Awards monologue. The former Saturday Night Live hosted the Spirit Awards, leading the show for her first time. After walking through the theater and taking the stage, Nwodim noted that “there’s a lot of incredible films nominated this year.” “A couple of them actually take place over the course of a single day,” she added, citing the Keke Palmer and SZA-starring One of Them Days. “In One of Them Days, Keke Palmer and SZA raced through L.A. to hunt down a mistress, apply for a loan, donate blood, get stuck on a telephone pole, get evicted, escape a fire and get a bad guy thrown in jail,” Nwodim said. “Apparently, even in movies, Black women have to do twice as much. That shit ain’t right.” Read more. — McKinley Franklin
Kumail Nanjiani Jokes He’s a “White Guy” Before Presenting
Before Naomi Ackie won the award for supporting performance at the 2026 Independent Spirit Awards, Kumail Nanjiani pointed out that only one white man was nominated in the category, going on to joke about the demographic’s “comeback.” “I’m here to present the award for best supporting actor performance. We have 10 nominees, and this year’s nominees include only one white man,” he began. “Ha ha, your time is over, white man.” “I’m joking, you guys came back. Wow, what a comeback you guys had,” he said, as the audience responded in laughter. “I’ll be honest, we had counted you out. And you showed us. We thought it was our time, we were wrong.” Read more. — McKinley Franklin
Natasha Rothwell Goes Off Script, Saying “Fuck ICE”
The stars at the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards, including Natasha Rothwell, Tessa Thompson and Kumail Nanjiani, were not afraid to make their anti-ICE stance known. Amid a tense political era in the United States under President Donald Trump, several celebrities have been speaking out against his administration and his aggressive immigration policies, in particular, during the 2026 awards season, and it was no different on Sunday. Before presenting the award for best ensemble cast in a new scripted series to the Jason Momoa-led Chief of War, White Lotus alum Natasha Rothwell went off script for a moment, saying, “I’m gonna go to the prompter, but I just want to say, ‘Fuck ICE.’” She was also wearing an “ICE Out” pin. Read more. — Carly Thomas
Lurker Director Alex Russell Likens Indie Film Risk to ‘Ratatouille’ Scene
After Lurker won the best first screenplay award at the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday, writer and director Alex Russell took a moment to thank the people who take risks on indie film and likened that vulnerability to a scene in the 2007 animated film Ratatouille. “There’s this part of Ratatouille near the end where we go into the food critics POV, and he’s talking about how most of the time he’s like, hating on everything, but where he feels the most valuable is when there’s a new voice and he has to take a risk,” Russell said on stage. “In the case of first features, so many people had to be that food critic in Ratatouille and say, ‘OK, maybe let’s give this kid a chance, even if it makes us look stupid.’ And that can mean anything from putting up financing to just, like, forwarding an email, but it can amaze you how much no one cares at the beginning, and then it’s so much more meaningful when someone does.” Read more. — Beatrice Verhoeven
The 41st annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, hosted by Ego Nwodim, were held Sunday afternoon at the Hollywood Palladium. Find all the winners here, and check out the star-studded arrivals.
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