Peabody Awards honored TV legends, documentaries about pressing social issues of the day, and fresh voices in entertainment at its 77th Annual Awards Ceremony on Saturday at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.
Hasan Minhaj, host and award recipient for his comedy special “Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King,” served up laughs as well as praise for program’s mission. “When we talk about hearts and minds, we’re talking about the Peabodys. When we talk about accountability, we’re talking about the Peabodys,” he said in his opening monologue.
The evening was also punctuated with more somber moments. Three activists from Parkland High School joined Kim Snyder, director and producer “Newtown” onstage, along with Mark and Jackie Barden, whose son Daniel was killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut. Natalie Barden, Daniel’s older sister, made a plea for action on gun control and received a standing ovation.
Two Institutional Awards also went to programs that forever changed the television landscape 50 years ago: The Fred Rogers Company and “60 Minutes” from CBS News. Enlightening and entertaining minds young and old, these media institutions have helped define who we are as people and a nation.
With her trademark Tarzan yell and ear tug, Carol Burnett closed out the program to the delight of the audience. The beloved TV star was honored with the first-ever Peabody Career Achievement Award presented by Mercedes-Benz. An effusive Rachel Brosnahan, star of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” presented the award to veteran comedian, who blazed a trial for women in television with her hit variety program, “The Carol Burnett Show” in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Burnett was honored with a Personal Peabody Award early in her career (1962), with judges citing her as a talent to watch for years to come.
The Peabody Awards are based at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
Visit the Peabody 30 link here to see all of the winners: bit.ly/peabody33