From stellar performances to epic slimings, it goes without saying that Nickelodeon once again hosted the party of the summer at the 2025 Kids’ Choice Awards, which took place on June 21, live from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. Hosted by GRAMMY Award-winning music sensation Tyla, this year’s KCAs once again surpassed fans’ expectations with countless unforgettable moments from the renowned awards show.
Let’s take a look at some of the many highlights from this year’s slimetastic event!
The Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards Performances Were Next-Level
Nothing says “incredible summer bash” like some awesome tunes, right?! The awards show kicked off with a fantastic “Best of Summer” dance celebration featuring some of the most popular tracks of the season. The dance extravaganza was DJ’d by none other than the remarkable benny blanco.
mgk wowed the crowd with a stupendous performance of his song “cliché,” from his upcoming album Lost Americana, and was introduced on stage by his lovely daughter, Casie Baker. KATSEYE had KCA fans—both at home and in person—on their feet and dancing along to their performance of “Gnarly,” from their upcoming second EP, Beautiful Chaos. The group was introduced by Ice Spice.
And of course, no Kids’ Choice Awards performances would be complete without some sensational slimings! Both mgk and KATSEYE got surprise dousings after rocking out on stage.
Jack Black Wins the “King of Comedy” Award at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2025
One thing is for sure: Jack Black truly is the King of Comedy. Bringing his trademark charisma and undeniable comedic chops to every project he touches, Nickelodeon honored Black’s tremendous impact on the entertainment industry with a look back at his work in hit movies including A Minecraft Movie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the Kung Fu Panda and Jumanji franchises, Nacho Libre, School of Rock, and many more — along with his contributions to TV and music.
Friends of Black, including Kevin Hart, Paul Rudd, Sarah Silverman, and Amy Poehler, sent their congratulatory wishes virtually, just before his Nacho Libre co-stars Ana de la Reguera and Héctor Jiménez presented the award to him. Cutouts of some of his most iconic characters and faces made their way to the stage. Black also received an honorary sliming to celebrate this well-deserved recognition.
Rihanna Wins the “ICON” Silver Blimp Award at the 2025 KCAs
Rihanna is a true powerhouse in the worlds of music, beauty, and entertainment. She was honored with the first-ever “ICON” Silver Blimp Award at the KCAs and accepted the award from the Smurf Village. Voicing the role of Smurfette in the new Smurfs movie, Rihanna also unleashed a wave of blue slime on the audience — a first in Kids’ Choice Awards history for slime to be this color!
Stunts and a Search for a Missing Backpack
Backpack, backpack! 🎒 To build anticipation for the upcoming Nickelodeon and Paramount+ film Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado, Samantha Lorraine (who plays Dora in the film) and Jacob Rodriguez (who portrays Diego) went on a mission to find Dora’s missing backpack during the KCAs. Fans voted live on its location — the orange carpet!
More excitement took place at the awards show as legendary skateboard superstar Tony Hawk and Katelyn West showed off their skateboarding expertise on stage with some awesome stunts, before presenting an award to the cast of The Thundermans: Undercover for “Favorite Kids TV Show.”
Slime, slime… and more slime!
The Kids’ Choice Awards is synonymous with its iconic green slime, and there was tons of it at this year’s show. Jack Griffo and Kira Kosarin from The Thundermans: Undercover got rained on with slime as they received their blimps for “Favorite Male TV Star (Kids)” and “Favorite Female TV Star (Kids),” respectively. Salish Matter got slimed after receiving her award for “Favorite Female Creator,” and host Tyla closed out the show by getting completely covered in a monumental sliming.
Other spectacular highlights from the event included Nickelodeon Our World recognizing Los Angeles kids and showcasing how skateboarding has helped them make a difference and build community during tough times. SeanDoesMagic brought his awe-inspiring magic to the KCAs once again, disappearing through a magic portal in the Slime Lounge before landing in Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America. The audience got the chance to pick which ride he should go on, and they voted for the SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge.
A Star-Studded Kids’ Choice Awards
The KCAs always bring together fan favorites from the worlds of entertainment, sports, pop culture, music, social media, and more. Some of the many stars who joined in on the fun included Malia Baker, Kylie Cantrall, Auli’i Cravalho, Terry Crews, Young Dylan, Brie Garcia, Maia Kealoha, Salish Matter, Kel Mitchell, Daniella Monet, Renee Montgomery, Victoria Monét, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren, and more.
The Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards never fails to bring all the excitement, and this year was one of the best shows yet! I had the honor of covering the Kids’ Choice Awards again this year (marking my 10th year covering this wondrous event) — check out all of my interviews from the event here and watch my recap video from the event below.
Check out the Full List of Winners at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2025
TELEVISION:
FAVORITE KIDS’ TV SHOW
The Thundermans: Undercover
FAVORITE MALE TV STAR (KIDS)
Jack Griffo (Max Thunderman, The Thundermans: Undercover)
FAVORITE FEMALE TV STAR (KIDS)
Kira Kosarin (Phoebe Thunderman, The Thundermans: Undercover)
FAVORITE FAMILY TV SHOW
XO, Kitty
FAVORITE MALE TV STAR (FAMILY)
Xolo Maridueña (Miguel Diaz, Cobra Kai)
FAVORITE FEMALE TV STAR (FAMILY)
Peyton List (Tory Nichols, Cobra Kai)
FAVORITE REALITY TV SHOW
America’s Got Talent
FAVORITE CARTOON
SpongeBob SquarePants
FILM:
FAVORITE MOVIE
Wicked
FAVORITE MOVIE ACTOR
Jack Black (Steve, A Minecraft Movie)
FAVORITE MOVIE ACTRESS
Ariana Grande (Glinda, Wicked)
FAVORITE ANIMATED MOVIE
Inside Out 2
FAVORITE MALE ANIMATED VOICE FROM A MOVIE
Dwayne Johnson (Maui, Moana 2)
FAVORITE FEMALE ANIMATED VOICE FROM A MOVIE
Auli’i Cravalho (Moana, Moana 2)
FAVORITE VILLAIN
Jim Carrey (Dr. Robotnik, Sonic the Hedgehog 3)
FAVORITE BUTT-KICKER
Emma Myers (Natalie, A Minecraft Movie)
MUSIC:
FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST
SZA
FAVORITE MALE ARTIST
Bruno Mars
FAVORITE MUSIC GROUP
Stray Kids
FAVORITE SONG
“Taste” – Sabrina Carpenter
FAVORITE MUSIC COLLABORATION
“luther” – Kendrick Lamar and SZA
FAVORITE FEMALE BREAKOUT ARTIST
Sabrina Carpenter
FAVORITE MALE BREAKOUT ARTIST
Benson Boone
FAVORITE ALBUM
“Short n’ Sweet” – Sabrina Carpenter
FAVORITE GLOBAL MUSIC STAR
Africa: Tyla
FAVORITE SONG FROM A MOVIE
“Defying Gravity” – Cynthia Erivo (ft. Ariana Grande) (Wicked)
FAVORITE VIRAL SONG
“Bluest Flame” – Selena Gomez, benny blanco
OTHER CATEGORIES:
FAVORITE FEMALE SPORTS STAR
Simone Biles
FAVORITE MALE SPORTS STAR
LeBron James
FAVORITE MALE CREATOR
MrBeast
FAVORITE FEMALE CREATOR
Salish Matter
FAVORITE VIDEO GAME
Just Dance 2025 Edition
FAVORITE GAMER
IShowSpeed
FAN FAVORITE KIDS’ CREATOR
Ms. Rachel
FAVORITE PODCAST
LOL Podcast
ICYMI or simply just want to rewatch all the merriment, the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2025 is available to stream on Paramount+.
Photos courtesy of Nickelodeon
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