The Critics Choice Awards is being absolutely ROASTED for serving this pathetic snack plate

You’d assume an awards ceremony packed with Hollywood’s biggest stars would come with caviar, champagne and at least a decent main course. Apparently not. Following the 31st annual Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, the internet became far more interested in the food than who took home a trophy.

Credit: Shutterstock/Chelsea Lauren

While the night delivered Timothée Chalamet’s affectionate shoutout to Kylie Jenner and host Chelsea Handler’s signature one-liners, it was the dinner situation that truly stole the show.

New York Times columnist Kyle Buchanan shared a photo of the event’s so-called “snack plate” on X. The post quickly racked up over 2.8 million views, and for good reason.

The plate appeared to include a handful of pita chips, two small bunches of grapes, a couple of cheese wedges, a tiny portion of bruschetta, two cherry tomatoes, a few cheeseballs with basil, and a modest dollop of hummus.

Hello from the Critics Choice Awards and our dinner, this snack plate. Follow along for updates… pic.twitter.com/e5RKwiIdcZ

— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) January 4, 2026

People wasted no time dragging the meal, with several likening it to the infamous Fyre Festival catering. “This looks like a meal on a United flight, not an award show,” one person wrote. Another simply added: “That’s an in-flight snack.”

The dinner that @fyrefestival promised us was catered by Steven Starr is literally bread, cheese, and salad with dressing. #fyrefestival pic.twitter.com/I8d0UlSNbd

— Tr3vor (@tr3vorx) April 28, 2017

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The food even became a punchline during the ceremony itself. Abbott Elementary star Janelle James referenced the lack of sustenance while accepting her award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

“The best thing about being nominated four times is I finally realised they’re never gonna feed us at this thing,” she joked. “It’s gonna be grapes and ice cream every year.”

#CriticsChoiceAwards winner & #AbbottElementary star Janelle James on the food: pic.twitter.com/qjmmptknng https://t.co/IvJf0O9Ogd

— Charles T (@ChuckyT3) January 5, 2026

This isn’t the first time awards show catering has come under fire. At the 2024 Critics Choice Awards, Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks and Oprah Winfrey were filmed reacting to being handed bagged pizza. “Where are the lamb chops?” Barrino asked, while Oprah famously declined to eat, saying, “I’m not messing up my lips!”

this is why these actors win awards then immediately go to in n out jesus christ https://t.co/9cmtCAor8o

— c ❀ fan account (@crazyinIqve) January 5, 2026

For an event that runs for several hours and hosts some of the richest people on the planet, many felt the spread was… underwhelming. As one commenter joked, “Everybody’s on Ozempic. They didn’t want to waste steak or fish.”

Keep seeing the food at the #CriticsChoice. What… are they feeding you? Looking sparse… 😲 pic.twitter.com/u3du5qk1P2

— Lyra Hale ✍️🇵🇷🏳️‍🌈 (@MsLyraHale) January 5, 2026

If nothing else, the Critics Choice Awards have proven that even A-listers can’t escape bad catering.

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Featured image credit: X/@kylebuchanan, Shutterstock/Chelsea Lauren