Kumail Nanjiani Takes Over as Host for the DGA Awards After Judd Apatow’s Five-Year Stint
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has announced that Kumail Nanjiani will host its 78th annual awards ceremony next month, a change from Judd Apatow, who had served as emcee for the past five years.
Nanjiani, a comic and actor known for his role in The Big Sick, recently returned to stand-up with his special Kumail Nanjiani: Night Thoughts, which premiered last month on Hulu. He has experience hosting, previously co-hosting the 2016 Indie Spirit Awards and presenting at various award shows. His recent roles include appearances in Ella McCay and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, along with a notable stint as a series regular on HBO’s Silicon Valley from 2014 to 2019. He received an Oscar nomination in 2018 for Original Screenplay for The Big Sick.
The 2026 DGA Awards are set for Saturday, February 7, at the Beverly Hilton.
In a statement, Nanjiani expressed his excitement about hosting, saying, “I am honored to host the DGA Awards and celebrate the incredible work done across the art form. A director’s dedication, leadership and creativity are what bring the most powerful stories – the ones that truly need to be told – to life.”
Additionally, the DGA announced that Beth McCarthy-Miller will return to chair the Awards ceremony for the fifth consecutive year.
Apatow, a three-time Emmy winner who presented at this month’s Golden Globes, noted his surprise at being asked back to host again, joking, “I’m shocked the DGA asked me back to host for a sixth time. I’m starting to think there’s no one else who will say yes.”
Currently, Apatow is directing an untitled film starring Glen Powell and Cristin Milioti, and is collaborating with two-time Globes host Nikki Glaser on an untitled romantic comedy in development at Universal.
