My main takeaway from the 2025 Kids’ Choice Awards is that kids like pretty much the same musical artists as everybody else. Sabrina Carpenter won favorite album for Short n’ Sweet, just as she had won the Grammy for best pop vocal album in February. SZA and Bruno Mars won favorite female and male artist, respectively. Carpenter and Benson Boone won favorite female and male breakout artist, respectively. These four artists could have been winners on just about any show.
Kendrick Lamar and SZA took favorite music collaboration for “luther,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks and could very well be headed to a Grammy win for record of the year early next year. (The song’s namesake, Luther Vandross, died in 2005, long before most of the current Kids’ Choice Awards audience was even born.)
Wicked, which set a new record as the top-grossing film adapted from a Broadway musical, won for favorite movie. Ariana Grande won favorite movie actress for playing Glinda in that blockbuster film and also took favorite song from a movie as a featured artist on Cynthia Erivo’s “Defying Gravity.”
Other music winners included Stray Kids (favorite music group), Tyla (favorite global music star) and Selena Gomez and benny blanco (favorite viral song for “Bluest Flame”).
While slime, and lots of it, is the clearly main attraction on this show, several of the winners snuck inspiring and important messages into their acceptance speeches.
Here are five of the best moments from the 2025 Kids’ Choice Awards.
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Rihanna, benny blanco Seek to Inspire Their Young Fans
Image Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Nickelodeon Rihanna accepted an Icon Award by video and delivered an inspiring message for her young fans. “I just want to take this moment to remind all of you that wherever you are right now is significant and crucial to where you are about to go. Own your space in this world and know that you are chosen for greatness.”
benny blanco made a similar point when he accepted (in-person) favorite viral song for “Bluest Flame,” a collab with his girlfriend, Selena Gomez (who wasn’t present). Wearing an Aerosmith T-shirt and his signature scruffy look, he said, “I’ve always wanted one of these since I was a kid and I just want to tell you guys ‘Dream anything you can, as big as you can because … you guys can do anything you want.”
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Sabrina Carpenter Promises to Continue Making Clean Versions of Her Songs
Sabrina Carpenter picked up three awards — favorite album for Short n’ Sweet, favorite female breakout artist and favorite song for “Taste.”
“I’ve always wanted one of these ever since I was a little girl,” she said. “This is so special to me. I just can’t thank each and every one of you enough for voting. I will continue to make these clean versions of these songs for you, and I’m so grateful that you’re listening.”
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Auli’i Caravalho’s Suddenly Political Message
Auli’i Caravalho accepted the award for favorite female animated voice from a movie for playing Moana in Moana 2, capping her speech by saying the movie showed “how important it is to welcome people from distant shores.” In the past it would have seemed a sweet, innocent comment, but in these highly-charged times it seemed to be touching on a hot-button issue.
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Jack Black Does His Best Acting of the Year
It came at the end of his acceptance speech for the King of Comedy Award, where he was inevitably slimed, yet he said, “I didn’t see that coming. You got me.” A trouper, he stayed in position for a second sliming after they presented his second award of the night, favorite movie actor for playing Steve in A Minecraft Movie.
The latter award was presented by Black’s Nacho Libre co-stars Ana de la Reguera and Héctor Jiménez, who, Black noted, came all the way from Mexico to present the award. “Viva Mexico,” Black said, another comment that would have seemed innocuous not so long ago but suddenly seemed highly topical.
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mgk and KATSEYE Perform
There were two musical performances: “cliché,” by mgk, from his upcoming seventh studio album, Lost Americana, and “Gnarly,” by KATSEYE, from their upcoming second EP, Beautiful Chaos. Both performances culminated in slimings. mgk was introduced by his daughter, Casie Baker. KATSEYE was introduced by Ice Spice.
