YVETTE NICOLE BROWN HOSTED THE STAR-STUDDED EVENING FEATURING A POWERFUL PERFORMANCE BY MULTI-GRAMMY NOMINATED ARTIST MICKEY GUYTON

Tina Knowles, Monica Lewinsky, Julianne Hough, Danielle Fishel, Jameela Jamil, Abby Phillip, Katherine LaNasa, Leanne Morgan, and Paulina Chávez Among Winners in Attendance

Stevie Wonder, Chrissy Teigen, Kelly Rowland, Chuck Lorre, Minka Kelly, Raven-Symoné, Jordan Chiles, Natalie Morales, and Tal Anderson Among Presenters

LOS ANGELES, May 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Beverly Wilshire became a celebration of truth-telling, resilience, and women reshaping media tonight as the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) presented the 51st Annual Gracie Awards® during the organization's landmark 75th anniversary year.

Hosted by two-time Emmy-nominated actress and producer Yvette Nicole Brown, the evening honored the women who are changing culture not only through visibility, but through honesty–from journalism and podcasting to entertainment, sports, and independent media. Throughout the night, themes of reclamation, reinvention, and authenticity echoed across the stage, as winners shared deeply personal stories about survival, aging, caregiving, grief, and using media as a force for connection.

"In 1951, more than 280 women in broadcasting came together and founded their own organization to make sure their voices couldn't be ignored," Brown told the crowd. "At a time when women were fighting just to be in the room, those 280 visionaries just built their own dang room."

The night featured a surprise appearance by music legend Stevie Wonder, who took the stage to honor journalist Adai Lamar for her coverage of the devastating Los Angeles County fires, while four-time GRAMMY® nominee Mickey Guyton delivered an emotional performance of "Remember Her Name," celebrating resilience, identity, and womanhood.

Becky Brooks, President of AWMF, reflected on the organization's 75th anniversary and the evolving media landscape throughout the evening. "When we celebrate women in media, we're not just giving awards, we're saying: 'Your work matters, your voice matters.'"

Andie MacDowell was honored with the esteemed Gracies Icon Award. During her speech, MacDowell reflected on aging publicly and authentically in Hollywood. "I have had the absolute audacity to age," she said with a laugh. "And I love everyone who has embraced it as much as I have."

ADDITIONAL NOTABLE MOMENTS

• Kelly Rowland took the stage to present Tina Knowles with her Gracie for her audiobook, Matriarch. "Recording this audiobook was pure therapy for me," Knowles shared. "I laughed, I cried, and I experienced every emotion possible. In many ways, it helped heal places in me that I didn't even know needed healing." She also took a moment to thank her four daughters by name–Beyoncé, Solange, Kelly, and Angie–saying: "...for allowing me to be so honest, vulnerable, and open in sharing very personal stories that otherwise may never have been told."
• Monica Lewinsky accepted her Gracie for Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky with a speech that brought the room to its feet. "You continue to give me something I spent years searching for: a space where I wasn't just a headline," she told the audience. "This is for everyone who's ever been told their story is over. It's not. It's just beginning."
• Chrissy Teigen presented Jamie Kern Lima with the Gracie for Best Online Video Host, joking that she first heard about Lima "while completely naked, standing in a spray tan tent," before praising her as "such a champion of other women."
• Senator Lauren Book delivered one of the evening's most emotional speeches while accepting a Gracie for Lauren's Kids Foundation, reflecting on surviving years of childhood abuse. She told the audience, "People often ask survivors why we didn't tell. But the better question is: why weren't we taught?"
• Katherine LaNasa was also honored for her performance in The Pitt, using her acceptance speech to reflect on the evolution of women's representation onscreen and the next generation of storytellers shaping Hollywood. "Change happens in units of one. One plus one plus one plus one. And it's happening," she shared. "I see it in young creators like Quinta Brunson and Rachel Sennott and the young actresses on my show, who seem to know no bounds. They've got it, they've got the baton, now let's keep running."
• Chuck Lorre brought humor to the stage while presenting Leanne Morgan with her Gracie, joking, "Everyone is concerned that AI will take over the entertainment industry when in fact it's women, clearly."

The evening also spotlighted a broader shift happening across the media landscape, honoring women-led productions, independent journalism, subscriber-supported platforms, and creators building direct relationships with audiences during a time of massive industry transformation.

Additional presenters included Stevie Wonder, Jordan Chiles, Raven-Symoné, Minka Kelly, Natalie Morales, Lea Thompson, Tracy Spiridakos, Lauren Lapkus, Kit Hoover, Mary Holland, Tal Anderson, Natalie Alyn Lind, and Alyvia Alyn Lind.

Below, please find links to access house footage, including b-roll of arrivals, interviews with honorees and presenters, clips from the ceremony, and more.

Female-owned production companies produced the gala: Do Great Projects and Mythical Creatures, with Kristin Whalley serving as Executive Producer.

The Gracie Awards are proudly sponsored by ABC News, Bloomberg, CNN, Disney, ESPN, Hallmark Media, Jamie Kern Lima, Lauren's Kids Foundation, Paramount+, Premiere Networks, Katz Media Group, BBC Studios, NCTA, and iHeartMedia.

For a complete list of award recipients and honorable mentions, please visit allwomeninmedia.org. Local and student award recipients will be honored at the Gracie Awards Luncheon on June 16 at Cipriani's in NYC.

ABOUT THE GRACIE AWARDS
The Gracie Awards, presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, are the most celebrated honor for women in media — recognizing exemplary programming and individual talent created by, for, and about women. Named after the late Gracie Allen — comedian, businesswoman, and boundary-breaker — the awards carry forward her spirit of wit, ambition, and possibility. The Gracies are the AWMF's largest annual fundraiser, supporting women in media through scholarships and educational programs. For more information, visit allwomeninmedia.org and follow @AllWomenInMedia. #TheGracies

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Photos:
Link: https://dam.gettyimages.com/selects/alliance-for-women-in-media-foundations-51st;
Photo Credit: Getty Images on behalf of Alliance for Women in Media Foundation

EPK:
https://gettyvideo.digitalpigeon.com/msg/9DSlsFPQEfGlHAYmA7xYYQ/HUC9dAAQZV1awkTyTSA1WQ
Video Credit: Getty Images Video on behalf of Alliance for Women in Media Foundation

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SOURCE Alliance for Women in Media Foundation