People’s Choice celebs salute the real heroes

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — “The people have spoken” read the event’s ubiquitous decor in white capital letters nearly two stories high.

This definitive slogan was tied to the People’s Choice Awards, a Sunday night shindig that, after airing on CBS for 44 years, made its debut this year on the E! network. The rebooted ceremony distinguished itself by including honors highlighting online content.

But the winners of these groups weren’t announced during the two-hour live telecast. Instead, the cameras zoomed in on A-listers and the stars of shows in the NBCUniversal family of channels (which includes E!).

Many of the evening’s speeches paid tribute to the important issues of a particularly strenuous week. Multiple winners, including “The Spy Who Dumped Me” actress Mila Kunis and “Avengers: Infinity War” star Danai Gurira, called for donations to the Los Angeles Fire Department as it works to contain the wildfires blazing throughout California.

When Chrissy Teigen presented the women of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” with the reality show award, Kim Kardashian West mentioned the fires as well as the Thousand Oaks tragedy.

“Our hearts are broken from the horrific shootings and those who have lost their lives and homes, as well as the hundreds of thousands of us that have been evacuated from the devastating fires that are currently burning,” she said. “Our country is stronger when we come together, and we cannot face devastation alone. We must continue to reach out to each other in trying times.”

GREGG DEGUIRE/GETTY Mila Kunis was among the People’s Choice winners who called for donations to the LA Fire Department.