The awards show that has honored Hollywood’s finest for over three decades has a new name. The Screen Actors Guild Awards, known for years as the SAG Awards, is now officially called the Actor Awards. The change took effect starting with the 32st annual ceremony, which takes place on March 1, 2026.
Union leaders at SAG-AFTRA announced the rebranding back in November 2025. They wanted the title of the show to make “obvious sense” to people watching at home, especially those tuning in from outside the United States. The ceremony moved to Netflix in 2024, and that global reach is a big reason for the new name .
But even the host is having trouble remembering the change. Kristen Bell, who is hosting for the third time, admits she keeps slipping up. “There’s been a lot of slip-ups,” Bell told USA TODAY. “We politely correct each other when I say the SAG Awards. Nope, it’s now called the Actor Awards” .
Here is everything you need to know about why the name changed, what it means for the show, and how to watch the 2026 ceremony.
Why Did the SAG Awards Change Their Name?
The decision to drop “Screen Actors Guild” from the title was not made overnight. Leaders of the union say they have talked about it for a long time. The time finally felt right because of the show’s partnership with Netflix .
Jon Brockett, the showrunner and executive producer, and JoBeth Williams, the chair of SAG-AFTRA’s Awards Committee, explained the reasoning in a joint announcement. They said the goal was to provide “clearer recognition” for both domestic and global audiences about what the show actually is .
“We honor actors in film and television,” they stated. “Laser-focusing the name on those two things became the clearest and most straightforward path for this new chapter of the show” .
Before the change, viewers who were not familiar with Hollywood unions might not have understood what “SAG” meant. Now, the title tells you exactly what you are going to see: a show about actors, for actors.
Kristen Bell put it simply in an interview with ELLE. “Of course, SAG is not the broadest title to attract people,” she said. She compared it to not knowing the names of unions for other industries in different states. The new name makes it easier for everyone, anywhere in the world, to understand the show instantly .
The Statue Has Always Been Called ‘The Actor’
Another major reason for the change is the award statue itself. For over 30 years, the trophy handed to winners has been known as “The Actor.” The bronze statuette, which depicts a figure holding a mask of comedy and tragedy, has always carried that name .
So, the show is now finally catching up to its own trophy. Organizers said it felt like the right time to “make the alignment official” .
“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,” Brockett and Williams explained .
The full title of the event is now The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA. This keeps the union’s name attached while making the main title clearer for the public .
What Is Changing About the Show?
Here is the most important part for fans: nothing else is changing.
The show will still celebrate the best performances in film and television. It will still be voted on by the thousands of performers who are members of SAG-AFTRA. And it will still be a major stop on the road to the Oscars.
“Only the show name is changing,” Brockett and Williams confirmed. “The foundation remains the same, it’s actors honoring actors” .
The 2026 ceremony is still the 32nd Annual event. Even though it is the first year with the new name, the numbering has not been reset. It is simply a continuation of the same prestigious awards show that started in 1995 .
Even Kristen Bell Forgets the New Name
If you are worried about accidentally calling it the SAG Awards, do not feel bad. Even the host does it.
Kristen Bell has been openly talking about the struggle to adjust. In a promo for the show, she joked about having to call every single SAG-AFTRA member to personally tell them about the change .
In reality, she told ELLE that the bit came from real life. Among her and her producing partner, they would often slip up and say the old name, then quickly correct themselves. “Wouldn’t it be hilarious if…” that was actually her job, she thought. The comedy sketch wrote itself from there .
Bell also revealed her own pitch for a different name. “Let’s call it, ‘Most Likely To,’” she suggested, comparing it to a high school yearbook. “Everyone’s going to get that.” The union politely passed on her idea, telling her it was “not clear enough” .
How to Watch the 2026 Actor Awards
The 32nd Annual Actor Awards will take place on Sunday, March 1, 2026. The ceremony will be held at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles .
For viewers at home, the show will stream live exclusively on Netflix. The broadcast is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT .
This is the third year Netflix has streamed the ceremony. The show previously aired on TNT and TBS for 25 years. The move to streaming has allowed the awards to reach a global audience in over 190 countries, which was a major factor in the decision to rebrand the title .
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Who Is Nominated and Honored This Year?
The 2026 nominees were announced back in January. On the film side, the political drama One Battle After Another broke a record with seven nominations. Stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Chase Infiniti are up for top acting awards .
On the television side, Seth Rogen’s series The Studio leads with five nominations. It will compete against popular shows like Abbott Elementary, The Bear, and Only Murders in the Building for the comedy ensemble award .
This year, the union will also present its highest honor, the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award, to Hollywood legend Harrison Ford.
“I am deeply honored to be chosen as this year’s recipient,” Ford said in a statement. “To be acknowledged by my fellow actors means a great deal to me” .
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Stay with VvipTimes for complete coverage of the 2026 Actor Awards, including the full winners’ list and red carpet highlights as soon as the show wraps on Sunday night.
