Kathy Bates Gifts Critics Choice Award To ‘Matlock’ EP Eric Christian Olsen Who Lost House In LA Fires
Matlock star Kathy Bates looked stunned when her name was called as winner for Best Actress In A Drama Series at the Critics Choice Awards Friday, letting out an expletive before she made her way to the stage.
Bates, who went viral at the Golden Globes when she ripped what appeared to be an acceptance speech after Shōgun’s Anna Sawai was announced as winner in her category, didn’t have a speech prepared this time.
Along with acknowledging the CBS series’ cast and crew, including thanking Matlock creator Jennie Snyder Urman “for creating such an amazing role for an old lady like me,” Bates expressed gratitude to the firefighters in the audience following LAFD’s efforts during the recent LA wildfires.
“Our producer, Eric Christian Olsen, had a house in Palisades, and it burned down. So it’s very personal to us, and to watch all the of you guys standing in line with just a wall of flames in front of you is just terrifying,” she said, getting choked up. “And I don’t know how you did it, but I thank you so much for so many of us in Los Angeles.”
Bates also had a gift for former NCIS: Los Angeles star Olsen, who is an executive producer on Matlock.
“I just want to tell Eric Olsen, who hasn’t quite found a home yet, this is coming to you,” she said, hoisting her award. “First thing for decor.”
Eric Christian Olsen at the EMA Awards Gala held at Sunset Las Palmas Studios on October 8, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Christopher Polk/WWD via Getty Images
Olsen, his wife, Sarah Wright Olsen, and their three children lost their home in the early hours of the Palisades Fire last month.
“It’s so hard to say goodbye to our gorgeous town, our special school and this place we have loved for 13 years,” Sarah Olsen wrote on IG at the time.
