DiCaprio Roasted for Nearly Missing Critics Choice Awards Because He Was Stuck on a Boat: ‘Just Like Titanic, but Worse Because Jeff Bezos Was There’

chelsea handler leonardo dicaprio — Getty Images

Chelsea Handler didn’t hold back at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards (CCA)

During her opening monologue at Santa Monica’s Barker Hanger on Jan. 4, the comedian went through all the big nominees, starting early with DiCaprio, star of the biggest movies of the year, One Battle After Another.

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“Leo almost didn’t make it tonight because he was trapped on a boat in St. Barts,” Handler said, as DiCaprio laughed. “It was just like the ‘Titanic,’ but worse, because Jeff Bezos was there.”

Last week, DiCaprio and his girlfriend, Vittoria Ceretti, were spotted with Bezos and Lauren Sánchez on a superyacht in St. Barts.

While he did attend the Critics’ Choice Awards, he didn’t make the Palm Springs Film Festival Awards Gala the night before, since he wasn’t able to fly due to FAA air traffic control issues following the attack on Venezuela.

Handler brought up Paramount+’s “Landman,” first warning the crowd of a “spoiler alert” about a recent episode. “Billy Bob Thornton went full frontal,” she said. “Taylor Sheridan said it was nice to have a dick on set that wasn’t Kevin Costner.”

She also took swing at Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav while discussing the blockbuster hit “Sinners.”

“‘Sinners’ is the story of brothers who start this really fun place for entertainment, and then vampires show up, suck the life out of everybody and burn it all to the ground,” she began. “Fun fact, the original name of the main vampire was David Zaslav.”

The awards show marks the first of 2026 and will set the tone for awards season. On the film side, Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” leads with 17 nominations, including best picture; Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” follows closely behind with 14 nods.

In the TV categories, much like the Emmys, Netflix’s “Adolescence” tops the list with six nominations, with the streamer’s “Nobody Wants This” close behind with five. “The Pitt,” “All Her Fault,” “Severance,” “The Diplomat,” “Ghosts” and “Death by Lightning” all landed four noms each.

Oscar Actors: DiCaprio, Roasted by CCA Awards Host Chandler

DiCaprio Roasted for Nearly Missing Critics Choice Awards Because He Was Stuck on a Boat: ‘Just Like Titanic, but Worse Because Jeff Bezos Was There’

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