The Worst-Dressed Stars At The 2026 Critics Choice Awards

As the holiday season comes to a close, we're ready for the next holiday season to begin: award season, that is. No matter how we're kicking off 2026, surely a hefty dose of seeing our fave stars on the red carpet, rooting for well-deserved wins, and of course, wincing at painful award show fashion will do us some good. The Critics Choice Awards are kicking off award season right: with some big wins for the best TV shows and movies, as well as some major losses for stars attempting to have a great fashion moment.

The 2026 Critics Choice Awards ushered in the new year in style with comedian Chelsea Handler hosting, Jimmy Kimmel giving Donald Trump a new name that surely has him enraged, and "Hacks" star Jean Smart adding to her ever-growing award collection. Best Actor winner Timothée Chalamet even surprised the audience when he professed his love to his girlfriend of three years, Kylie Jenner. 

Unfortunately, while Chalamet was feeling lovey-dovey about his celeb partner, we weren't feeling quite so lovey-dovey about the celeb fashion we saw gracing the red carpet. There were baffling suits, overloads of sequins, and a desperate need for an on-site, last-minute tailor. Sure — we all love to see our favorite stars get the kudos their work deserves. But we just might love seeing what they wear even more. We're kicking off what we like to call "worst-dressed list season" Critics Choice edition. And, for worst-dressed list lovers, the stars did not disappoint.

"Silk pillowcases! Get your silk pillowcases here!" If Jessie Buckley really wanted to sell some silk pillowcases, she would have been better off explaining that they do wonders for your hair, rather than hanging the display on her body. With its big, heavy-looking bows and bizarre silhouette, Buckley's white satiny top was just plain odd. Paired with otherwise simple styling, this top overwhelmed the star, and it was all we could look at as she made her way down the red carpet. 

There were plenty of bad looks at the Critics Choice Awards, but none had us quite as perplexed as what Teyana Taylor was wearing. The star wore thigh-high slouchy boots layered over an olive green suit with a red striped tie and a giant black, fluffy shawl. Every detail of this outfit was somehow weirder than the last, and it was hard to imagine what Taylor's inspo could have possibly been for this particular look. 

Craig Robinson sported a unique and fresh color palette on the red carpet. He wore a maroon suit jacket with brown pants and a matching brown shirt. In a perfectly tailored suit, this color scheme would have shined. The problem was that his jacket ended below his knees. Robinson seemingly meant this to be a fashion statement, but instead it threw off his proportions, and the fabric looked wrinkled and messy. 

When we saw Jackie Tohn's Critics Choice Awards look, it reminded us of when Jennifer Coolidge sees Reese Witherspoon's Fourth of July-inspired outfit in "Legally Blonde 2." We found ourselves saying, "It makes me want a hot dog real bad." This particular shade of yellow and the bottle-like shape of the dress just screamed "Mustard!" The plain, lackluster styling didn't help the look, and this color didn't work great with Tohn's coloring, either. 

After snagging a Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nomination for "Hacks," it's clear that Hannah Einbinder is one of the biggest TV stars of the moment. But does that mean she needs to have the biggest sleeves on the red carpet? Either way, she did, in fact, sport the night's puffiest sleeves. The top of her dress had pirate vibes, while the sleek skirt didn't help to give her 'fit balance. Paired with almost no accessories, this look fell flat, despite all that sleeve volume.

Erin Doherty simply must be a fan of "The Sims" franchise, because this dress looks exactly like the emerald icon that floats over a Sim's head. Regardless of whether or not this frock was actually meant to be video game-inspired, it was definitely distracting. This unique shade of green looked beautiful on Doherty, but its sculptural shape was just too much, and it stole the focus away from the star who was sporting it. 

"The Last of Us" star Bella Ramsey's Critics Choice Awards look definitely felt a bit all over the place. The star sported a black jumpsuit with tinsel-like fringe around the neckline and waist. Paired with Ramsey's cropped, wavy haircut, this gave off major flapper vibes. Yet, Ramsey layered the jumpsuit over a red button-down shirt and a white tie. These additions clashed with the rest of the look and made for an outfit that had a bit too much going on. This jumpsuit would have worked better with a black shirt sans tie underneath. 

Amy Madigan took the world by storm as Aunt Gladys in "Weapons," and it earned her the coveted Best Supporting Actress award. While the movie star definitely earned her honor, she wasn't exactly dressed like a winner. Madigan wore light wash jeans paired with what appeared to be a layered, embroidered shirt and jacket set in a darker wash of denim. While the Critics Choice Awards may not be the most formal awards show, head-to-toe denim still felt too casual for the occasion. 

Up top, Sophia Lillis' dress was about as covered-up as it could get, with long sleeves and a mock-neck. From the waist down, however, the star showed a lot of skin. The ankle-length skirt was totally transparent. Yet, Lillis didn't opt for a slip, instead leaving her legs visible underneath the floral print. Rather than looking like an edgy twist on an otherwise sweet and feminine look, this dress looked like a wardrobe malfunction in progress. 

Omar Benson Miller rocked a suit on the red carpet, yet there wasn't one detail of this outfit that looked quite right. His tie was too long, and his shirt and jacket looked too big and baggy. His pants were wrinkled and looked like the entirely wrong size — with too much room in the legs and too much length. This suit was so ill-fitting that it actually may have been a casual, laid-back fashion statement. Unfortunately, it just looked like he was swimming in his clothes. 

We all know that too much of a good thing can backfire, and this officially applies to turquoise-colored sequins. Lisa Ann Walter showed off her stunning shape in a body-hugging dress on the red carpet. The silhouette was definitely a showstopper, but the color and sequin combination was too much. The head-to-toe vibrant light blue was a bit of a color overload, and pairing it with a purse that was a clashing version of the shade made the color palette look even worse.

Doesn't Ginnifer Goodwin know that camouflage is supposed to blend in, not steal the spotlight? The actor hit the red carpet in a black and silver printed fabric with all-over sequins, long sleeves, and a high mock-neck. The random geometric print was reminiscent of camo, but there was nothing about this dress that would fade into the background. Instead, it was Goodwin who faded into the background as her seriously ugly dress took center stage. 

Thanks to Skye P. Marshall's glam hair and makeup on the red carpet, we could tell that she actually got ready for the special event. Without that, though, we may have been convinced that she never actually finished getting dressed. She wore what looked like a lingerie top with her towel still wrapped around her waist. This is a clear example of why the underwear as outerwear trend doesn't always look quite right.