October 4, 2024
Actor, Director and Producer Natasha Lyonne Announced as Host
Sesame Street joins Francis Ford Coppola, Susan Zirinsky, Tony & Gina Argento and Criterion as Recipients of the 2024 DGA Honors
Los Angeles – The Directors Guild of America (DGA) announced today that Sesame Street joins a list of admired recipients at this year’s DGA Honors. It was also announced that television Director, Actor, Producer and Writer Natasha Lyonne will host the evening’s celebration.
Previously announced honorees include Director Francis Ford Coppola, President of CBS/Paramount’s See It Now Studios and Former CBS News President Susan Zirinsky, Broadway Stages Founder Tony Argento along with its CEO & President Gina Argento and film distribution company Criterion.
"We are thrilled to add Sesame Street to our outstanding list of honorees," said DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter. “For more than 50 years, Sesame Street has defined excellence in children's television programming. As both a parent and as a Director, I am always impressed with the skillful storytelling on this very special street where kids can learn life's lessons, improve their cognitive skills, and laugh along with some truly zany Muppets. We are proud to be honoring the legacy of the show and the many creative collaborators, directors and directorial team members who have brought so much joy to children and their parents for decades. I am also so excited to announce the amazing Natasha Lyonne as our host. Natasha is in a league of her own as an acclaimed Actress, Director and Creator whose ability to connect with audiences makes her the perfect emcee for this year’s DGA Honors."
Accepting on behalf of Sesame Street will be Executive Vice President, Chief Creative Development and Production Officer for Sesame Workshop, Kay Wilson Stallings.
The 25th anniversary DGA Honors will be held at the DGA Theater in New York City on October 17, 2024.
Past DGA Honors recipients have included influential filmmakers Ang Lee, Ron Howard, Nora Ephron, Robert Altman, Spike Lee, Mike Nichols, Sydney Pollack, and Martin Scorsese; as well as leaders in entertainment, labor, and politics such as Law & Order creator/producer Dick Wolf, Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels, HBO Documentary Films President Sheila Nevins, Fox Searchlight Chairman Nancy Utley, Robert De Niro, Danny Glover, former Paramount Pictures CEO Sherry Lansing, IATSE International President Matthew Loeb, former AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, former SAG-AFTRA Executive John McGuire, Teamsters Local 817 President Thomas J. O’Donnell, Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Past presenters and hosts have included Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Cruise, Halle Berry, Helen Mirren, Julianne Moore, Alan Cumming, Jude Law, Richard Belzer, Dave Chapelle, Sam Waterston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ellen DeGeneres, Matt Dillon, Hank Azaria, and Francis Ford Coppola.
About Sesame Street
Sesame Street is the pioneering children’s educational television program that debuted in 1969 and continues to reach children in more than 150 countries. Created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett during the Civil Rights movement, the show blends live performance, musical numbers, puppetry, and animation to educate and engage young audiences on school-readiness skills and values like empathy, kindness, and inclusion. Featuring timeless characters including Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch, Sesame Street has become a standard-bearer for early childhood storytelling through carefully researched educational content that teaches literacy, numeracy, social skills, and cultural awareness. Sesame Street is produced by the global impact nonprofit organization Sesame Workshop.
About Natasha Lyonne
Five-time Emmy® and two-time Golden Globe® nominee Natasha Lyonne continues to push creative boundaries as a Producer, Writer, Actor and Director after four decades. Lyonne stars in Azazel Jacobs’ His Three Daughters (2023), with Carrie Coon and Elizabeth Olsen. Upcoming, she co-stars in The Fantastic Four and voices a role in The Smurfs. She recently wrapped production on Taika Waititi’s adaptation of Klara and the Sun. Lyonne’s Poker Face earned her a fifth Emmy® and second Golden Globe® nominations. She directed Netflix’s Get on Your Knees, and co-created, directed, and starred in Russian Doll, which received three Emmy® wins and 14 nominations. Her directing credits include Orange is the New Black, Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, Shrill and High Fidelity.
About the DGA:
Since its founding in 1936, the DGA has fought for the economic and creative rights of its members; protected their ability to financially benefit from the reuse of their work; established strong pension and health plans; and established jurisdiction in new technologies and distribution platforms. Today we represent more than 19,500 Directors and members of the directorial team working in film, television, commercials, news, sports and documentary.