"This is how you compliment a man": Internet reacts as Janelle James praises Connor Storrie during Actor Awards nominations reveal

This year's Annual Actor Awards nominations were announced by presenters Janelle James and Connor Storrie. Janelle James' statement about her co-presenter Storrie is generating notable reactions across social media platforms.

Janelle James gave the statement during a standard press interaction during the 2026 Actor Awards nominations reveal at the SAG-AFTRA offices in Los Angeles. James was asked whether she was thinking about the graphic 'HEATED RIVALRY' scenes while she was presenting with Storrie. James replied,

"What I am thinking about his excellent Russian accent that he does. I am thinking about his characterization. I am thinking that he is adorable, and he looks like a leading man, and I am excited to see where he goes next."

Netizens reacted, saying,

"This is how you compliment a man without turning it into a fandom meltdown."

Janelle James is mainly known for her role as Ava Coleman on ABC's Abbott Elementary. She has also done stand-up comedy, writing, and more. Abbott Elementary is currently in its fifth season.

Connor Storrie plays Russian hockey player Ilya in the queer romance series Heated Rivalry, which was released on HBO Max after being acquired from Canadian streamer Crave.

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Netizens' reactions to Janelle James praising Connor Storrie during the Actor Awards nominations reveal

Film Updates took to its official X (formerly Twitter) page to post that,

"Janelle James was asked if she thought of the graphic HEATED RIVALRY scenes when presenting the Actor Awards nominations with Connor Storrie."

Netizens soon gathered under the comment section of the X post to share their thoughts on her statement. Below are some of their reactions,

"I mean, that accent is pretty memorable. Gotta give him props for it.", stated an X user.

"This is actually a masterclass in how to shut down messy narratives without sounding defensive. She did not play into the heated rivalry bait even for one second. Instead, she redirected the entire conversation to craft his accent, his characterization, his presence, his potential.", commented another.

"This classy queen.", added a third.

Others also chimed in:

"The way she is dodging the question is so telling. It is like Hollywood is terrified of admitting they watched a show for the sm*t.", wrote a netizen.

"Janelle was perfect with her reply to a stupid question from an unimaginative reporter.", added another.

"i already respected the hell out of janelle but after her interviews with connor storrie, i love her more! thank GOD connor was paired up w her for this. a complete newbie to the scene with such a professional and classy vet like her. what a woman.", commented a third.

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Complete list of nominees at the 2026 Actor Awards

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role at the 2026 Actor Awards

Timothée Chalamet, Marty Mauser, Marty Supreme

Leonardo DiCaprio, Bob, One Battle After Another

Ethan Hawke, Lorenz Hart, Blue Moon

Michael B. Jordan, Smoke and Stack, Sinners

Jesse Plemons, Teddy, Bugonia

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role at the 2026 Actor Awards

Jessie Buckley, Agnes, Hamnet

Rose Byrne, Linda, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

Kate Hudson, Claire, Song Sung Blue

Chase Infiniti, Willa, One Battle After Another

Emma Stone, Michelle, Bugonia

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role at the 2026 Actor Awards

Miles Caton, Sammie Moore, Sinners

Benicio Del Toro, Sensei Sergio St. Carlos, One Battle After Another

Jacob Elordi, The Creature, Frankenstein

Paul Mescal, Will, Hamnet

Sean Penn, Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, One Battle After Another

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role at the 2026 Actor Awards

Odessa A'zion, Rachel Mizler, Marty Supreme

Ariana Grande, Glinda, Wicked For Good

Amy Madigan, Gladys, Weapons

Wunmi Mosaku, Annie, Sinners

Teyana Taylor, Perfidia, One Battle After Another

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the 2026 Actor Awards

Frankenstein

David Bradley, Blind Man

Christian Convery, Young Victor Frankenstein

Charles Dance, Leopold Frankenstein

Jacob Elordi, The Creature

Mia Goth, Elizabeth, and Claire Frankenstein

Oscar Isaac, Victor Frankenstein

Felix Kammerer, William Frankenstein

Lars Mikkelsen, Capt. Anderson

Christoph Waltz, Harlander

Hamnet

Joe Alwyn, Bartholomew

Jessie Buckley, Agnes

Noah Jupe, Hamlet

Paul Mescal, Will

Emily Watson, Mary

Marty Supreme

Odessa A’zion, Rachel Mizler

Sandra Bernhard, Judy

Timothée Chalamet, Marty Mauser

Emory Cohen, Ira Mizler

Fran Drescher, Rebecca Mauser

Abel Ferrara, Ezra Mishkin

Penn Jillette, Hoff

Koto Kawaguchi, Koto Endo

Luke Manley, Dion Galanis

Tyler Okonma, Wally

Kevin O’Leary, Milton Rockwell

Gwyneth Paltrow, Kay Stone

Géza Röhrig, Béla Kletzki

Larry Ratso Sloman, Murray Norkin

One Battle After Another

Benicio Del Toro, Sensei Sergio St. Carlos

Leonardo DiCaprio, Bob

Regina Hall, Deandra

Chase Infiniti, Willa

Sean Penn, Col. Steven J. Lockjaw

Teyana Taylor, Perfidia

Sinners

Miles Caton, Sammie Moore

Buddy Guy, Old Sammie

Michael B. Jordan, Smoke and Stack

Jayme Lawson, Pearline

Delroy Lindo, Delta Slim

Omar Miller, Cornbread

Wunmi Mosaku, Annie

Jack O’Connell, Remmick

Hailee Steinfeld, Mary

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture at the 2026 Actor Awards

F1

Frankenstein

Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series at the 2026 Actor Awards

Jason Bateman, Vince Friedkin, Black Rabbit

Owen Cooper, Jamie Miller, Adolescence

Stephen Graham, Eddie Miller, Adolescence

Charlie Hunnam, Ed Gein, Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Matthew Rhys, Nile Jarvis, The Beast in Me

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series at the 2026 Actor Awards

Claire Danes, Agatha Wiggs, The Beast in Me

Erin Doherty, Briony Ariston, Adolescence

Sarah Snook, Marissa Irvine, All Her Fault

Christine Tremarco, Manda Miller, Adolescence

Michelle Williams, Molly, Dying for Sex

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series at the 2026 Actor Awards

Sterling K. Brown, Agent Xavier Collins, Paradise

Billy Crudup, Cory Ellison, The Morning Show

Walton Goggins, Rick Hatchett, The White Lotus

Gary Oldman, Jackson Lamb, Slow Horses

Noah Wyle, Dr. Michael Robby Robinavitch, The Pitt

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series at the 2026 Actor Awards

Britt Lower, Helly, and Severance

Parker Posey, Victoria Ratliff, The White Lotus

Keri Russell, Kate Wyler, The Diplomat

Rhea Seehorn, Carol, Pluribus

Aimee Lou Wood, Chelsea, The White Lotus

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2026 Actor Awards

Ike Barinholtz, Sal Saperstein, The Studio

Adam Brody, Noah Roklov, Nobody Wants This

Ted Danson, Charles Nieuwendyk, A Man on the Inside

Seth Rogen, Matt Remick, The Studio

Martin Short, Oliver Putnam, Only Murders in the Building

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2026 Actor Awards

Kathryn Hahn, Maya Mason, The Studio

Catherine O’Hara, Patty Leigh, The Studio

Jenna Ortega, Wednesday Addams, Wednesday

Jean Smart, Deborah Vance, Hacks

Kristen Wiig, Maxine Simmons, Palm Royale

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

The Diplomat

Ali Ahn, Penny Downie, Rosaline Elbay, Ato Essandoh, David Gyasi, Rory Kinnear, Nana Mensah, Graham Miller, Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell

Landman

Paulina Chávez, Mark Collie, Sam Elliott, Colm Feore, Andy Garcia, James Jordan, Ali Larter, Jacob Lofland, Caleb Martin, Demi Moore, Michelle Randolph, Mustafa Speaks, Billy Bob Thornton, Kayla Wallace

The Pitt

Amielynn Abellera, Shabana Azeez, Patrick Ball, Isa Briones, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif, Supriya Ganesh, Joanna Going, Gerran Howell, Michael Hyatt, Tracy Ifeachor, Katherine LaNasa, Krystel V. McNeil, Brandon Mendez Homer, Alexandra Metz, Tracy Vilar, Kristin Villanueva, Noah Wyle

Severance

Patricia Arquette, Sarah Bock, Michael Chernus, Zach Cherry, Dichen Lachman, Britt Lower, Darri Ólafsson, Adam Scott, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, John Turturro, Christopher Walken

The White Lotus

Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Nicholas Duvernay, Arnas Fedaravičius, Christian Friedel, Scott Glenn, Walton Goggins, Jon Gries, Dom Hetrakul, Sarah Catherine Hook, Jason Isaacs, Yuri Kolokolnikov, Julian Kostov, Charlotte Le Bon, Lalisa Manobal, Michelle Monaghan, Sam Nivola, Morgana O’Reilly, Lek Patravadi, Shalini Peiris, Parker Posey, Sam Rockwell, Natasha Rothwell, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Tayme Thapthimthong, Aimee Lou Wood

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary

Quinta Brunson, William Stanford Davis, Janelle James, Chris Perfetti, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter, Tyler James Williams

The Bear

Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón Zayas, Ayo Edebiri, Abby Elliott, Edwin Lee Gibson, Corey Hendrix, Andrew Lopez, Matty Matheson, Ebon Moss Bachrach, Oliver Platt, Sarah Ramos, Ricky Staffieri, Jeremy Allen White

Hacks

Rose Abdoo, Dan Bucatinsky, Carl Clemons Hopkins, Paul W. Downs, Hannah Einbinder, Mark Indelicato, Jean Smart, Megan Stalter, Michaela Watkins

Only Murders in the Building

Michael Cyril Creighton, Beanie Feldstein, Jermaine Fowler, Selena Gomez, Jackie Hoffman, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Dianne Wiest

The Studio

Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, Catherine O’Hara, Seth Rogen, Chase Sui Wonders

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series at the 2026 Actor Awards

Andor

Landman

The Last of Us

Squid Game

Stranger Things

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