This show introduces young kids to the fun of watching award shows. To tweak the title of an old AC/DC album, “For Those About to Watch Awards Shows, We Salute You.”
Reneé Rapp gets slimed while accepting the favorite breakout artist award onstage during the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on July 13, 2024 in Santa Monica, California.
The most surreal thing about the 2024 Kids’ Choice Award is that it went on as scheduled on Saturday (July 13) at 8 p.m. ET, even though the rest of the world was reacting to the shocking assassination attempt on former President Trump. There wasn’t even a mention of the incident on the show. Most awards show open with a moment of reflection following distressing news events, which are, sadly, all too common.
To be fair, an opening about an assassination attempt would be tonally all wrong for a show built around epic slimings. The young kids who watch and enjoy this show probably wouldn’t have understood what the moment meant for a country where violence and anger are constant facts of life.
It’s also not a surprise that so many kids’ favorites appeared on the show, including The Kid Laroi, who performed a three-song medley. Many young stars grew up watching this show. It’s a kick for them to appear on it. This show introduces young kids to the fun of watching award shows. It’s a gateway show. To tweak the title of a Billboard 200-topping album by AC/DC, “For Those About to Watch Awards Shows, We Salute You.”
Many of the winners on the show were thoroughly expected. No one could have been surprised that Barbie won favorite movie or that Taylor Swift won favorite female artist, favorite global music star or favorite ticket of the year for The Eras Tour. And the win for Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” as favorite viral song was hardly a surprise.
That doesn’t mean all awards went as expected. Take a look.
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Surprise: Reneé Rapp
Rapp won favorite breakout artist, beating Coco Jones, Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Tate McRae, Teddy Swims, Tyla and Victoria Monét.
Ice Spice has had four top 10 hits on the Hot 100. McRae, Swims and Tyla have also had top 10 hits. Swims has had a No. 1 hit, “Lose Control.” Rapp has yet to land a Hot 100 hit. She gained is best known by the Kids Choice audience for starring as Regina George in the 2024 film Mean Girls and also contributing to its soundtrack.
Here’s an even bigger surprise than the mere fact that Rapp won this year. Four of the last five winners in this category are LGBTQ. Billie Eilish won in 2019, followed by Lil Nas X in 2020 and Dove Cameron in 2023. (There was no category in 2021. The winner in 2022 was the straight-identifying Olivia Rodrigo.)
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Snubs: Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake
Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake each had four nominations, second only to Taylor Swift, who led with six nods. But unlike Swift (and Olivia Rodrigo, who also had four nods) all were shut out. It’s most surprising in the case of Cyrus, who is still fairly young (31) and coming off the biggest hit of her career to date (2023’s “Flowers”).
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Surprise: Olivia Rodrigo
Rodrigo’s GUTS won favorite album, beating Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology and Barbie: The Album, as well as Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation and Jelly Roll’s Whitsitt Chapel. I did not see that coming.
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Surprise: Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice with Aqua
Swift won favorite female artist and Post Malone won favorite male artist so you might reason that their Hot 100-topping collab “Fortnight” was a shoo-in to win favorite music collaboration. Nope. It lost to “Barbie World,” the soundtrack hit by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice with Aqua.
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Surprise: Imagine Dragons
The band won favorite music group, beating four past winners in the category – Black Eyed Peas, who won three times; Jonas Brothers, who have won twice; and *NSYNC and Maroon 5, who have each won once. (The sixth nominee, Coldplay, has yet to win.)
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Snub: Ryan Gosling
Barbie’s strong showing didn’t bring Ryan Gosling, that movie’s Ken, across the finish line in the favorite movie actor category. The award went to Timothée Chalamet, who played the lead role in Wonka. Chalamet has youth on his side (always a plus in this kid-voted show.) The actor is 28. Gosling is 43.
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Slimed: The Kid Laroi, Jelly Roll, Reneé Rapp
All agreed to be slimed, a signature element of the show, as did actors Jack Black and Henry Golding. They proved that they are good sports and kids at heart.