The dinner served in Critics' Choice Awards faces backlash; people call it airplane meal

The controversy over food at the Critics' Choice Awards made the most talked-about moment of this year's event in California-a night of trophies, fashion and acceptance speeches. Instead of a substantial dinner during the marathon event, attendees were given a light grazing plate that ignited online backlash and criticism against the awards show's hospitality. It played out in public as guests confirmed that expectations of a proper meal would again go unmet.

The inside deets of the food at Critics’ Choice Awards

The debate went awry after awards-season columnist Kyle Buchanan of The New York Times shared a photograph of his “dinner” meal on X. The plate contained red and green grapes, two squares of cheese, hummus, crackers, dried fruits, bread, and two kebab skewers of cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. Although arranged nicely in terms of aesthetics, for an event that will run for several hours and feature some of Tinseltown’s biggest stars, the menu clearly did not suffice.

Buchanan’s video spread quickly on social media platforms, attracting extreme reactions with hundreds of thousands of views. While some users likened the dish to airline food, others drew similarities with the infamous cheese sandwiches from Fyre Fest. However, the reaction brought to light the fact that food quality is given prominence even at award shows.

It got to the point where the matter was addressed at the Critics' Choice Awards by comedian and actor Janelle James, who, during her acceptance speech, stated that this is the third she has come to the show, and not once she have been offered a ‘proper meal,’ which was well received by the audience.

This backlash follows a similar episode from last year's Critics' Choice Awards, when guests were served individually wrapped slices of pizza. Cameras caught Oprah Winfrey, Fantasia Barrino, and Taraji P. Henson looking unimpressed, while Paul Giamatti joked onstage about needing an endorsement deal for "pizza in a bag."

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