Critics Choice Awards Delayed Due to Surge in COVID Cases

As COVID cases around the country surge yet again, more events are starting to adjust their plans. The Critics Choice Awards ceremony is the latest major event to be placed on the back-burner, with the concern of COVID’s spread remaining the top priority. On Wednesday, the Critics Choice Association announced that the upcoming awards ceremony, which was supposed to take place on January 9, 2022, has been delayed indefinitely.

The 2022 Critics Choice Awards were set to be announced at a ceremony in Los Angeles on January 9th, with Taye Diggs and Nicole Byer sharing hosting duties. The event was to be broadcast simultaneously on The CW and TBS. The event has now been postponed to a later date, where it will still air on those same networks. There’s no word yet on when the makeup date will be announced.

“After thoughtful consideration and candid conversations with our partners at The CW and TBS, we have collectively come to the conclusion that the prudent and responsible decision at this point is to postpone the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards, originally slated for January 9, 2022,” the Association said in a statement. “We are in regular communication with LA County Public Health officials, and we are currently working diligently to find a new date during the upcoming awards season in which to host our annual gala in-person with everyone’s safety and health remaining our top priority. We will be sharing additional details with our friends and colleagues throughout the entertainment industry as soon as we can.”

For those following awards season news closely, this postponement may come as a bit of a shock, considering the Critics Choice Association made clear earlier this week that it would be sticking to its original plan, albeit with stricter health and safety protocols. 

“The Critics Choice Association is working with LA County Public Health Officials and a premiere Covid Compliance service, and at this time, we are currently still planning to host an in-person 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards, following the strictest and safest protocols, including mandatory proof of vaccination, negative PCR tests 48 hours in advance, proper social distancing and masking requirements,” the organization said in a statement released just two days before the delay announcement. “We will continue to carefully monitor the situation as events progress.”

Are you disappointed to see the Critics Choice Awards get pushed back? Let us know in the comments!