Jennifer Coolidge honored as 2023 ‘Woman of the Year’ by Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals

Jennifer Coolidge has another coveted prize to her impressive and ever-growing list: the Woman of the Year Award.

On Saturday, the Emmy-winning star of HBO’s “The White Lotus” was honored by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals as their 2023 woman of the year.

Coolidge’s honor, offered by the nation’s oldest theatrical organization to women “who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment,” started with a parade through the streets of Cambridge.

Wearing a leopard-print coat and a fluffy pink hat, the 61-year-old braced the frigid Massachusetts cold to wave at the crowds of fans who came to celebrate her.

At the award ceremony later on Saturday, Coolidge took part in a roast honoring her before she was named the group’s 72nd Woman of the Year winner. She joins an impressive list that includes Kerry Washington and Meryl Streep.

Coolidge — whose successful career as a supporting comedian actor includes memorable roles in the “American Pie” franchise and “Legally Blonde” — had a recent explosion in popularity after playing the scene-stealing Tanya McQuoid in two seasons of the Emmy-winning TV series “The White Lotus.”

“It’s been very fun. I’m really having a blast,” Coolidge told the audience before receiving the award. “I got to meet all these young students who are so much smarter than me.”

The veteran actress — whose hilarious award-acceptance speeches at the Golden Globes last month and the Emmys late last year quickly went viral — also got emotional on Saturday, saying she wished her father, who went to Harvard, could have witnessed the moment.

“I’ve been so blown away that this experience is happening. I never saw it coming. It blows away any sort of movie or television show I have ever done,” she said. “Seriously, my dad went here. I wish he was here. His brothers went here and everything so it’s a big deal.”

At a press conference following the ceremony, Coolidge once again spoke about her late father.

“I wish he could have come tonight. That’s why this night is such a big deal,” she said. “This would have been his dream come true.”

With News Wire Services