Jennifer Coolidge to Bend and Snap Her Way Back to Harvard for Woman of the Year Prize
The accolades keep pouring in for Jennifer Coolidge: The celebrated character actress has been named the 2023 Woman of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the oldest theatrical organization in the U.S.
Recipients of the Pudding’s annual prize — which has been handed out each year since 1951 — don’t need to have any particular connection to Harvard. Though, for what it’s worth, Coolidge did grow up outside of Boston, and, most importantly, she had a prominent role in the Harvard-set comedy classic, Legally Blonde.
Coolidge will be honored on Feb. 4, though her coronation won’t be some drab afternoon luncheon. The festivities will start with Coolidge leading a parade through Harvard Square, while later, there will be a celebratory roast of Coolidge and the official presentation of the honorary Pudding Pot. A press conference will follow, and the evening will end with Coolidge attending the opening night of the Hasty Pudding 174th annual production (this one titled, Cosmic Relief).
“We are so excited to welcome Jennifer Coolidge back to her hometown and to Harvard, the iconic setting of Legally Blonde,” said Maya Dubin, coordinator of the Pudding’s Man and Woman of the Year prize. “We know she’ll fit right into the Pudding’s musical spectacular, though she’ll still have to earn her Pudding Pot on stage.”
(A few days before Coolidge’s big day, on Feb. 2, the Pudding will honor its 2023 Man of the Year, Bob Odenkirk. While Odenkirk won’t get a parade, he’ll still get a celebratory roast, his own Pudding Pot, and the chance to see a preview of Cosmic Relief.)
Coolidge has been a reliably excellent character actress in movies and TV shows for years, putting in memorable turns in everything from Legally Blonde and American Pie to Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and 2 Broke Girls. The past couple of years, she’s enjoyed a well-deserved round of accolades and appreciation thanks to her two seasons playing Tanya McQuoid on The White Lotus. Earlier this year, she won a Golden Globe for her performance on the show, while last year, she picked up an Emmy as well.