5 best quotes from the People’s Choice Awards 2019, courtesy of Pink, Zendaya, Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Hart

The People’s Choice Awards are always a bit of a surreal gathering, as A-list movie stars are thrown haphazardly together with musicians and reality TV personalities: witness, at this year’s ceremony, Robert Downey Jr, Blake Shelton and Bachelorette’s Hannah Brown – all in attendance, mere tables apart.

With winners from the worlds of movies, music and TV all crowned by a simple public vote, Sunday night’s show saw a number of celebrities offer surprisingly funny and/or poignant speeches. Here were some of the most noteworthy quotes from the two-hour broadcast – and if you haven’t caught up yet, the full list of winners and nominees is below.

Kevin Hart

Hart made his first big public appearance since being seriously injured in a car accident in September, as he appeared to accept the comedy act award. The actor walked out from backstage to a standing ovation from the audience.

“First and foremost, thank God, because I definitely don’t have to be here. Being that I am, it makes me appreciate life even more, it makes me appreciate the things that really matter,” said Hart, who also thanked his wife and kids. He turned his attention to the fans: “You have no idea the effect you have on us as entertainers. Your energy, your support, it means the world. And I truly want to thank you guys for being there for me and my difficult time.”

Pink

Fifa Women's World Cup champion Alex Morgan introduced Pink, who won the 2019 People’s Champion honour, and explained that the singer empowers women, champions marginalised voices and is involved in philanthropic causes. “Talk about mum goals,” Morgan said. On cue, the camera cut to Pink’s eight-year-old daughter Willow Sage Hart … who was too busy eating a snack to really care about Mum’s big award, which Pink found hilarious.

Anyway, Pink’s speech started off funny: “I looked up ‘people’s champion’ and Rocky Balboa came up. Which I thought was fitting, because I’m from around Philadelphia and I like to wear sweatpants and I like to fight people.” Next she turned serious to talk about the current divisive culture and how “kindness today is an act of rebellion”.

“There are people that don’t have what you have, help them get it,” she said. “There is a planet that needs help. It feels good to help, it feels powerful to help. Stop fighting each other and help each other.”