Amy Poehler Takes Comedy Honour at WSJ. Magazine Innovator Awards
Amy Poehler has won the innovation in comedy award at the WSJ. Magazine Innovator Awards, held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Comedian Marcello Hernández presented the award. He called Poehler "really just a good lady" and said she hates compliments, according to WSJ. Magazine. Hernández is a comedian himself, so the introduction had a few laughs built in.
Poehler's own speech was more personal. "Comedy, in many ways, has saved my life many times," she said on stage, as Variety reported. She said there is no greater joy for her than laughing with and at people she loves. She also spoke about artists taking audiences away from the present moment, which is a large part of what the award recognises.
She kept the mood light too. Poehler joked that the mascot of the Savannah Bananas, a baseball team known for its showmanship, was an "ex-lover," WSJ. Magazine reported.
Poehler is one of seven people honoured this year. The other honourees are:
- Rosalía, in music
- Martin McDonagh, in film
- The Savannah Bananas, in sports
- Matthieu Blazy, in fashion
- Marlon James, in literature
- Demis Hassabis, in technology
Presenters on the night included Dua Lipa, A$AP Rocky, Patti Smith and Seth Meyers, the late-night host.
Poehler is also known for her podcast. She hosts Good Hang, which WSJ. Magazine describes as one of the most successful podcasts in the industry. Her long run in television and film, and her recent turn toward audio, make the comedy award a fit with her career as a whole.
For viewers and listeners, the honour is a snapshot of where Poehler's work stands right now. Her stage remarks focused less on a single project and more on why she keeps making people laugh. The award also puts her alongside figures from very different fields, from a baseball team to a neuroscientist-turned-AI leader, under one roof in Manhattan.
