Exclusive

KPop Demon Hunters' Ji-young Yoo Reveals She Was Asked for an Autograph at the Hospital

The cast of KPop Demon Hunters has been goin' up, up, up since the Netflix film dropped. Which means, Ji-young Yoo told E! at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards, there have been some wild fan encounters.

By Sarah Grossbart Jan 04, 2026 10:30 PM
| Updated Jan 05, 2026 11:02 AM
Tags
Watch: Where the 'KPop Demon Hunters' Cast & Crew Stand on a Sequel

Never mind that KPop Demon Hunters actor Ji-young Yoo was in the emergency room, one dedicated fan decided that was her moment. 

"I would say the weirdest place I've been asked for a signature is in the hospital," the actress, who voices HUNTR/X's bubbly but tough rapper Zoey in the Netflix animated hit, revealed to E!'s Keltie Knight at the Critics Choice Awards 2026 Jan. 4.

Not to worry, she's gonna be, gonna be golden. "I hurt my back," the Denver native explained. "I'm totally fine." But you know you're shinin' like you're born to be when you're asked for an autograph mid-medical treatment. 

"It has been a whirlwind," her costar Arden Cho (the voice behind HUNTR/X's purple braided leader Rumi) acknowledged as she, Yoo and May Young (i.e. HUNTR/X's impossibly cool Mira) chatted with E!. "I don't think anybody was prepared for how busy we'd get."

photos
KPop Demon Hunters Cast: Meet the Voice Actors

But they're definitely seeing all the beauty in their jam-packed schedules. 

And with a sequel already in the works for the runaway smash, they're ready to show the world how it's done, done, done once more. 

Asked who HUNTR/X might pair up with IRL, "I don't know why automatically I was like BTS," Cho said of the South Korean boy band not all that dissimilar to the fictional Saja Boys, "only because they're having a comeback. Also because, you know, I'm a fan." 

Cho and her costars, meanwhile, continue rising up, up, up in fame, with KPop Demon Hunters netting Critics Choice Awards nods for Best Animated Feature (alongside Arco, Elio, In Your Dreams, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain and Zootopia 2) and Best Song for "Golden". 

And there's a good chance they'll be knocking out the rest of the competition like a lullaby once the Chelsea Handler-hosted show (airing on E! and USA Network) kicks off at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. 

Keep reading to check out all the winners who proved to be golden. 

Best Young Actor/Actress

Everett Blunck – The Plague (Independent Film Company)

WINNER: Miles Caton – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Cary Christopher - Weapons (Warner Bros.)

Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family (Searchlight Pictures)

Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet (Focus Features)

Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl (Netflix)

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Patrick Ball – The Pitt (HBO Max)

Billy Crudup – The Morning Show (Apple TV)

Ato Essandoh – The Diplomat (Netflix)

Wood Harris – Forever (Netflix)

Tom Pelphrey – Task (HBO Max)

WINNER: Tramell Tillman – Severance (Apple TV)

Best Picture

Bugonia (Focus Features)

Frankenstein (Netflix)

Hamnet (Focus Features)

Jay Kelly (Netflix)

Marty Supreme (A24)

WINNER: One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Sentimental Value (Neon)

Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Train Dreams (Netflix)

Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)

Best Actor

WINNER: Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme (A24)

Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams (Netflix)

Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)

Michael B. Jordan – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent (Neon)

Best Actress

WINNER: Jessie Buckley – Hamnet (Focus Features)

Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (A24)

Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value (Neon)

Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)

Emma Stone – Bugonia (Focus Features)

Best Supporting Actor

Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

WINNER: Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein (Netflix)

Paul Mescal – Hamnet (Focus Features)

Sean Penn – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly (Netflix)

Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value (Neon)

Best Supporting Actress

Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value (Neon)

Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value (Neon)

WINNER: Amy Madigan – Weapons (Warner Bros.)

Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Best Director

WINNER: Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Ryan Coogler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein (Netflix)

Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)

Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value (Neon)

Chloé Zhao – Hamnet (Focus Features)

Best Casting and Ensemble

Nina Gold – Hamnet (Focus Features)

Douglas Aibel, Nina Gold – Jay Kelly (Netflix)

Jennifer Venditti – Marty Supreme (A24)

Cassandra Kulukundis – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

WINNER: Francine Maisler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)

Best Costume Design

WINNER: Kate Hawley – Frankenstein (Netflix)

Malgosia Turzanska – Hamnet (Focus Features)

Lindsay Pugh – Hedda (Amazon MGM Studios)

Colleen Atwood, Christine Cantella – Kiss of the Spider Woman (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions)

Ruth E. Carter – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Paul Tazewell – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)

Best Hair and Makeup

Hair and Makeup Team – 28 Years Later (Sony Pictures)

WINNER: Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey – Frankenstein (Netflix)

Siân Richards, Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, Shunika Terry – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Kazu Hiro, Felix Fox, Mia Neal – The Smashing Machine (A24)

Leo Satkovich, Melizah Wheat, Jason Collins – Weapons (Warner Bros.)

Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier, Laura Blount – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)

Best Visual Effects

WINNER: Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett – Avatar: Fire and Ash (20th Century Studios)

Ryan Tudhope, Nikeah Forde, Robert Harrington, Nicolas Chevallier, Eric Leven, Edward Price, Keith Dawson – F1 (Apple Original Films)

Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, José Granell – Frankenstein (Netflix)

Alex Wuttke, Ian Lowe, Jeff Sutherland, Kirstin Hall – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount Pictures)

Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

Stephane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, Stéphane Nazé, Guy Williams – Superman (Warner Bros.)

Best Animated Feature

Arco (Neon)

Elio (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

In Your Dreams (Netflix)

WINNER: KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (GKIDS)

Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Animation Studios)

Best Comedy

The Ballad of Wallis Island (Focus Features)

Eternity (A24)

Friendship (A24)

WINNER: The Naked Gun (Paramount)

The Phoenician Scheme (Focus Features)

Splitsville (Neon)

Best Foreign Language Film

It Was Just an Accident (Neon)

Left-Handed Girl (Netflix)

No Other Choice (Neon)

WINNER: The Secret Agent (Neon)

Sirat (Neon)

Belén (Amazon MGM Studios)

Best Song

“Drive” – Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Blake Slatkin – F1 (Apple Original Films)

WINNER: “Golden” – Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, Teddy – KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)

“I Lied to You” – Raphael Saadiq, Ludwig Göransson – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

“Clothed by the Sun” – Daniel Blumberg – The Testament of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)

“Train Dreams” – Nick Cave, Bryce Dessner – Train Dreams (Netflix)

“The Girl in the Bubble” – Stephen Schwartz – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)

Best Drama Series

Alien: Earth (FX)

Andor (Disney+)

The Diplomat (Netflix)

Paradise (Hulu)

WINNER: The Pitt (HBO Max)

Pluribus (Apple TV)

Severance (Apple TV)

Task (HBO Max)

Best Actor in a Drama Series

Sterling K. Brown – Paradise (Hulu)

Diego Luna – Andor (Disney+)

Mark Ruffalo – Task (HBO Max)

Adam Scott – Severance (Apple TV)

Billy Bob Thornton – Landman (Paramount+)

WINNER: Noah Wyle – The Pitt (HBO Max)

Best Actress in a Drama Series

Kathy Bates – Matlock (CBS)

Carrie Coon – The Gilded Age (HBO Max)

Britt Lower – Severance (Apple TV)

Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us (HBO Max)

Keri Russell – The Diplomat (Netflix)

WINNER: Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus (Apple TV)

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Nicole Beharie – The Morning Show (Apple TV)

Denée Benton – The Gilded Age (HBO Max)

Allison Janney – The Diplomat (Netflix)

WINNER: Katherine LaNasa – The Pitt (HBO Max)

Greta Lee – The Morning Show (Apple TV)

Skye P. Marshall – Matlock (CBS)

Best Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Elsbeth (CBS)

Ghosts (CBS)

Hacks (HBO Max)

Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

The Righteous Gemstones (HBO Max)

WINNER: The Studio (Apple TV)

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Adam Brody – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

Ted Danson – A Man on the Inside (Netflix)

David Alan Grier – St. Denis Medical (NBC)

Danny McBride – The Righteous Gemstones (HBO Max)

WINNER: Seth Rogen – The Studio (Apple TV)

Alexander Skarsgård – Murderbot (Apple TV)

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Kristen Bell – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

Natasha Lyonne – Poker Face (Peacock)

Rose McIver – Ghosts (CBS)

Edi Patterson – The Righteous Gemstones (HBO Max)

Carrie Preston – Elsbeth (CBS)

WINNER: Jean Smart – Hacks (HBO Max)

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

WINNER: Ike Barinholtz – The Studio (Apple TV)

Paul W. Downs – Hacks (HBO Max)

Asher Grodman – Ghosts (CBS)

Oscar Nuñez – The Paper (Peacock)

Chris Perfetti – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Timothy Simons – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Danielle Brooks – Peacemaker (HBO Max)

Hannah Einbinder – Hacks (HBO Max)

WINNER: Janelle James – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Justine Lupe – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

Ego Nwodim – Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Rebecca Wisocky – Ghosts (CBS)

Best Limited Series

WINNER: Adolescence (Netflix)

All Her Fault (Peacock)

Chief of War (Apple TV) 

Death by Lightning (Netflix)

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy (Peacock)

Dope Thief (Apple TV)

Dying for Sex (FX on Hulu)

The Girlfriend (Prime Video)

Best Movie Made For Television

WINNER: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Peacock)

Deep Cover (Prime Video)

The Gorge (Apple TV)

Mountainhead (HBO Max)

Nonnas (Netflix)

Summer of '69 (Hulu)

Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Michael Chernus – Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy (Peacock)

WINNER: Stephen Graham – Adolescence (Netflix)

Brian Tyree Henry – Dope Thief (Apple TV)

Charlie Hunnam – Monster: The Ed Gein Story (Netflix)

Matthew Rhys – The Beast in Me (Netflix)

Michael Shannon – Death by Lightning (Netflix)

Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made For Television

Jessica Biel – The Better Sister (Prime Video)

Meghann Fahy – Sirens (Netflix)

WINNER: Sarah Snook – All Her Fault (Peacock)

Michelle Williams – Dying for Sex (FX on Hulu)

Robin Wright – The Girlfriend (Prime Video)

Renée Zellweger – Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Peacock)

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made For Television

WINNER: Owen Cooper – Adolescence (Netflix)

Wagner Moura – Dope Thief (Apple TV)

Nick Offerman – Death by Lightning (Netflix)

Michael Peña – All Her Fault (Peacock)

Ashley Walters – Adolescence (Netflix)

Ramy Youssef – Mountainhead (HBO Max)

photos
View More Photos From Critics Choice Awards 2026: Winners List