The stars came out in Beverly Hills, California, to shine a light on women in media on May 19, as the Alliance for Women in Media hosted its 2026 Gracie Awards. Many Hallmark fan-favorites were among the celebrities in attendance, from Nikki DeLoach to Andie MacDowell. They not only looked gorgeous but took home some beautiful hardware.
The prestigious awards honor media stars and projects that “embody the spirit and courage” of Gracie Allen — a beloved TV actress and groundbreaking comedian in the 1940s and 50s — and “serve as a reminder of the invaluable contributions women make in shaping our media landscape,” according to the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF), the organization behind the Gracies.
Nikki DeLoach Accepted the Award for Hallmark Channel’s ‘A Grand Ole Opry Christmas’ Cast
GettyCast members from 2025’s “A Grand Ole Opry Christmas” were on hand to receive the award for best “Made for Television Movie” and star Nikki DeLoach accepted the award in front of a packed ballroom at the Four Seasons’ Beverly Wilshire.
DeLoach was a vision in a royal blue, sleeveless gown as she beamed onstage. She was accompanied by co-stars James Denton, Rob Mayes, Eliza Hayes Maher, and Sharon Lawrence along with Hallmark Channel creative execs and the movie’s screenwriter, Hilty Bowen.
Filmed primarily at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, marking Hallmark’s first collaboration with the iconic country music venue, the time-travel film starred DeLoach as Gentry Wade, daughter of late country music icon Jett Wade – half of the fictional country duo Winters & Wade.
According to Hallmark’s synopsis, Gentry “abandoned her dream of a songwriting career and distanced herself from her father’s legacy following his tragic accident 30 years prior.”
Getty“When the Grand Ole Opry invites her to represent Jett at their centennial celebration at Christmas, she’s hesitant to return to the place steeped in bittersweet memories. Encouraged by her good friends, Gentry visits the Opry and, while seated in one of the vaunted venue’s oak church pews, is suddenly transported to 1995. Gentry’s lifelong friend Mac (played by Kristoffer Polaha) a country music talent manager, finds himself in 1995 as well.”
“We wouldn’t be able to start shooting until after the tours backstage were done after the show was over,” DeLoach told Southern Living magazine before the movie’s premiere. “And sometimes that would be at 11 and sometimes that would be midnight. And then we would shoot all the way into the next day at 11:00a.m. and then go home, get a few hours of sleep, and go back. So when I tell you that it was the hardest schedule that any of us had ever worked and everybody did it with such an incredible attitude and joy in their hearts. As hard as it was, there was not one single complaint on that set.”
Andie MacDowell Accepted the Icon Award at the Gracies
GettyMeanwhile, Hollywood legend and Hallmark fan-favorite Andie MacDowell was presented with the Icon Award, which honors “a woman whose impact extends far beyond entertainment.” The honor bestowed on years of creative work that is “defined by authenticity, resilience, and an unwavering sense of self in an industry that rarely makes space easy,” per the AWMF organization.
When the organization announced MacDowell as the recipient in April, AWMF President Becky Brooks said in a statement, “Andie MacDowell belongs in the company of the legends who have carried this award before her. She has shown us what it looks like to lead with integrity, to grow with intention, and to stay fully, unapologetically herself, and she has done it in a way that has opened doors for women across the industry. We are honored to recognize her at the 51st Annual Gracie Awards.”
Fresh off her appearances at the Cannes Film Festival, MacDowell also received an Honorable Mention for her role as Del Landry in Hallmark Channel’s “The Way Home,” now airing its fourth and final season. MacDowell, who also played Judge Olivia Lockhart in the Hallmark series “Cedar Cove,” will appear in the upcoming sequel to “A Biltmore Christmas” during the 2026 holiday season.
