The awards show long known as the SAG Awards is entering a new chapter with a new name to match. Beginning with its 32nd annual ceremony, which airs on Sunday, March 1, the Screen Actors Guild Awards will officially be called the Actor Awards, a move organizers say is designed to better reflect what the show celebrates and to resonate more clearly with a growing global audience following its transition to Netflix. Here’s what prompted the change, and what it means for the future of the ceremony.
Make More Sense to New Viewers
While we have said goodbye to the SAG Awardsm we are now saying hello to the Actor Awards, with the official name being the Actor Awards Presented By SAG-AFTRA. This change takes effect for the 32nd annual event on March 1.
So, why the name change? It seems like union leaders had a good reason. They want to make the ceremony’s title make “obvious sense” to new viewers. You see, the SAG Awards moved to Netflix in 2024.
In a joint statement, Jon Brockett, showrunner and executive producer of the award show, and JoBeth Williams, chair of SAG-AFTRA’s Awards Committee, said, “We wanted to provide clearer recognition in terms of what the show is about for our domestic and global audiences. We honor actors in film and television. Laser-focusing the name on those two things became the clearest and most straightforward path for this new chapter of the show,” E! News reported.
In addition, the iconic logo and statuette have always been called “The Actor.” So, they felt like the right time to “make the alignment officials.”
While the name of the show is changing, there will be no change to the award show itself. It will continue to be presented by SAG-AFTRA, with Brockett and Williams adding, “Only the show name is changing. The foundation remains the same, it’s actors honoring actors.”
Getting Used to the Name Change
This is a huge change. I mean, for 31 years, we have watched the SAG Awards. The actors have won SAG Awards, so a shift one year is something to get used to, which host Kristen Bell joked about in the video above.
Williams and Brockett explained, “Past winners and audiences included will still refer to their award and the show as the SAG Awards, and that’s OK. We know it’ll take time to adjust to the change.”
They do not doubt that this name change is a good move, adding, “Our goal is, and has always been, to bring greater clarity and global visibility to every performer the union represents, and we’re confident the new name does exactly that.”
The 2026 Actor Awards will air live on Netflix on Sunday, March 1, at 8 p.m. ET.
Who won tonight? Find out with our LIVE WINNERS RECAP right here!
