Webby Winners Get Five-Word Acceptance Speeches. Here’s What Podcasters Said.

There was no suspense in who was winning the 2024 Webby Awards since the honorees were announced last month. But what the winners would say with the hallmark Webby five-word acceptance speeches were the real highlight Monday night during the 28th Annual Webby Awards in New York.

Author and food guru Ina Garten presented Julia Louis-Dreyfus with the Webby Podcast of the Year Award for Wiser Than Me, a series that connects generations through meaningful, funny, and important conversations with unforgettable women. “Like Julia herself, Wiser Than Me is a first-of-its-kind — a podcast for wise and accomplished women to share their insights. You might cry, you will for sure laugh and I suggest you take notes,” Garten said when presenting the award.

In her acceptance remarks, Louis-Dreyfus urged the audience to, “Listen to old women, motherf**kers.”

Keke Palmer accepted a Webby Special Achievement Award for her contributions as an actress, activist, and entrepreneur and for her unique brand of digital innovation on projects like the Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast and KeyTV. While accepting her award, Palmer expressed gratitude for her career and platform on the internet, saying “I’m blessed to do this.”

Tech journalist Kara Swisher, host of the On with Kara Swisher and Pivot podcasts, was the recipient of a Webby Lifetime Achievement award. “I ain’t done, tech bros,” Swisher told the audience after receiving her award.

Shannon Sharpe, host of the Club Shay Shay podcast, received the Webby Advocate of the Year Award, celebrating his significant impact on sports commentary, advocacy for racial equality, education, and health. “His legacy is set,” said Derrick Johnson, President of the NAACP, when presenting the award to Sharpe. “No one is requiring him to give back to the world. But Shannon does so because he requires himself to do so,” he said.

Sharpe accepted his award with, “God is great, thank you.”

Laverne Cox, host of The Laverne Cox Show, accepted the Webby Award for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Podcasts. Her acceptance speech, “Healing, collective trauma, necessary, possible,” evoked a passionate response from the crowd.

Other notable five-word speeches included: 

• “Thank you for this bong.” –Jimmy Kimmel

• “Cooking Show Pretend, Gratitude Real.” –Jennifer Garner

• “Don’t put twinkies on pizza.” –Josh Scherer

• “Protect Kids, Not Guns, Bitches.” –Michelle Buteau & Farnoosh Torabi

• “Actually, we are all one degree.” –Kevin Bacon

• “Thanks for watching Tiny Desks.” –Bobby Carter

• “Wear pink, get shit done.” –Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

Webby Awards President Claire Graves reflected on the great leaps the internet has taken over the past year during her speech to the crowd, which notably went over five words. “The internet is evolving, and the pace of change is accelerating. We aren’t walking into the future. We’re leaping,” she said.

Host Amber Ruffin joked while opening the show, “Tonight we’ll be honoring the best in websites, apps, podcasts, games, and branded entertainment. Basically, we are honoring all the best ways to procrastinate.”

See a full list of Webby Award winners HERE.