00:00Oh my god, it is such an honor to be here tonight. I am surrounded by incredible women.
00:07I have no kids with me. I got dressed up. I'm feeling hot. No, wait, that's just perimenopause.
00:14It's fine. It's all good. It's all good. We feel it. It's fine. Honestly, just being in a room full
00:20of adults and no one is asking me for a snack or where the freaking iPad is feels like an
00:26award in
00:27itself. But the real honor tonight is mine because I get to present the Courage Award to my friend
00:36Paige DeSorbo. In case anyone somehow missed the Paige DeSorbo takeover, allow me to brag just for
00:51a minute. Paige has built a career by doing something that sounds simple but actually takes
00:57a massive amount of courage by being completely and unapologetically herself. She has pivoted from
01:07a reality television star to one of Forbes' highest paid podcasters of 2026. Shout out, Hannah.
01:15Woo! She is a fashion designer, a New York Times bestselling author, a writer, producer, and now
01:26actor. She's done it all without ever losing sight of who she is. And as someone who has been
01:36pivoting my entire career, she is just my kind of woman. Now, as you guys know, navigating this
01:45business requires a village and events like tonight, well, they remind us that when one of us gets a leg
01:53up or opens a new door or pulls up a seat to the table, all of our girlfriends come along
02:02too. Paige
02:04intuitively knows this and that when we use our platforms and voices to champion one another,
02:11we all benefit. That in-seek was part of what moved Paige to share her experience of surviving an
02:19abusive relationship. She told her story not to get attention, but to direct attention to an issue
02:27too many women experience in silence. She wasn't asking to be seen as brave. She was just letting
02:35another woman know that she had no reason to feel ashamed. Paige, that might have felt like a small
02:44gesture, but it wasn't. There's a real power in making someone feel less alone. And when we talk
02:52about what it is, it means to feel less alone, we have to talk about Paige's gorgeous cat, Daphne.
03:01She's more than a beloved companion. She's family, a source of comfort. And from everything I
03:09understand, she's very much the one in charge. Well, I unfortunately don't have a cat. He's
03:16allergic. It's fine. We're still working through it. I do have two amazing fur babies of my own, Ruby and
03:22magic. And it's true that our animals offer us comfort, safety, and companionship, often when we
03:31need it the most. That bond is exactly what the Purple Leash Project, a partnership from between
03:37Purina and Red Rover, is built to protect. Only about 20% of domestic violence shelters nationwide
03:47currently accepts pets, even though nearly half, listen to this, half of survivors report delaying
03:56leaving a dangerous situation because they couldn't take their pets with them. Since 2019, the Purple
04:04Leash Project has awarded more than $2 million in grants, helped create more safe spaces where
04:09survivors and their pets can escape and heal together. I know, it's a big win.
04:18Paige's openness and the Purple Leash Project share a simple but meaningful idea. Difficult moments
04:26are easier to face when we don't have to face them alone. So, it is my absolute pleasure to present
04:35the 2026 Variety Courage Award to my friends, presented by Purina, to Paige DeSorva.
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04:48You
