Andrew Scott was named Icon of the Year at the 2026 Out100 gala in Hollywood on Thursday night, receiving Out magazine’s top honour in front of a room of LGBTQ+ changemakers. The Irish actor was introduced on stage by Lisa Kudrow, who praised his “courage and pride” before he delivered a moving acceptance speech.
Kudrow, best known for Friends and for creating and starring in The Comeback, shared scenes with Scott in the show’s third season, and she opened her introduction by asking the crowd how many had seen him play Hamlet. Scott is also Out‘s November/December cover star, photographed by Quil Lemons for the issue. The 2026 Out100, presented by Lexus, brought together the year’s most notable LGBTQ+ groundbreakers, artists and activists.
A career-defining role in Elsinore
The award recognises Scott’s recent work, above all his performance in the film Elsinore, in which he plays Ian Charleson, the late gay actor who pursued his dream of playing Hamlet at London’s National Theatre while secretly dying of an AIDS-related illness. The film, directed by Simon Stone from a script by Stephen Beresford, reaches cinemas on November 20, and trade publications have already gauged early Oscar buzz for Scott’s performance.
Scott first identified himself publicly as “a gay person” to The Independent in 2013, a year after winning a BAFTA for playing James Moriarty on the BBC’s Sherlock. In his Out100 cover story he declared: “I’m just so grateful to have been born gay.” In his gala speech, he praised queer “resilience” and “friendship”, themes that drew a standing ovation from the Hollywood crowd.
A night of tributes
The evening also honoured Dolly Parton posthumously with the Advocate of the Year award, with her sister Stella Parton telling the room: “Dolly loved every one of you.” Performances and presentations on the night included Lily Tomlin and Stella Parton, as the gala celebrated a year in which Scott’s Hamlet — first acclaimed on London’s West End in 2017 — has come full circle through Elsinore.
For Scott, the Icon of the Year honour caps a remarkable run: the “Hot Priest” of Fleabag, a BAFTA winner, a West End Hamlet, and now the face of Out‘s annual celebration of LGBTQ+ influence. Whether Elsinore brings him awards-season gold remains to be seen, but Thursday night belonged to him. See also The Good Daughter starring Rose Byrne premieres Thursday and Coachella 2027: Dua Lipa, Tame Impala and SZA to headline.
