EW reveals its 2018 Entertainers of the Year: Cardi B, Darren Criss, the women of Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians, and more

Entertainment Weekly has spoken. After a banner year — in pop culture, not politics — filled with groundbreaking steps towards greater diversity, parity, and all-around originality, there were countless performers who contributed to making Hollywood a better place. But, as always, a few have risen above the fold.

Your faithful EW editors couldn’t pick just one entertainer to hold the crown, so we chose four cover stars. Or, technically, 10 cover stars if you’re doing the math.

The women of Crazy Rich Asians

Image zoom Ruven Afanador for EW

The women of Crazy Rich Asians — Constance Wu, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, and Gemma Chan — grace the first iteration, which honors their reign as the queens of summer. While Henry Golding contributed a standout performance, it was the movie’s female counterparts who captivated audiences, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Cardi B

Image zoom Jora Frantzis for EW

And speaking of cash, our second cover star didn’t do too shabby in 2018. Cardi B had arguably the best year in music, thanks to her debut album, Invasion of Privacy, going double platinum. The 26-year-old also surpassed Beyoncé to become the first woman to have five top 10 singles. And she achieved all that in the same year she got married and gave birth.

Darren Criss

Image zoom Ruven Afanador for EW

Darren Criss, who graces our third cover, didn’t tackle parenthood, but he did have a completely transformational year. After building a name as a song-and-dance man — thanks mostly in part to his time starring on Glee — he caught the attention of prestige TV fans and Emmy voters alike in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. His portrayal of killer Andrew Cunanan, under the watchful eye of director Ryan Murphy, spooked even the biggest American Horror Story devotees.

The women of Black Panther

Image zoom Koury Angelo for EW

On our fourth cover we honor the women of Black Panther. It says a lot about a film that here, almost a year after it first hit theaters, we are still just as enamored as we were at our first viewing. Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, and Letitia Wright completely stole the show during the revolutionary superhero flick, and seem to have inspired the Marvel Cinematic Universe to make great strides in the strong female lead department.

But the honorees don’t stop there — we were so in awe of this year’s performances, so see the rest of the list below.

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga

Donald Glover

Donald Glover blazed a path all his own in 2018, from raising the bar on season 2 of Atlanta to releasing perhaps the most honest portrayal of the state of our nation with “This Is America.” Lena Waithe, who first met the actor/rapper in 2015, tells us what he means to her.

John Krasinski and Emily Blunt

When it comes to teamwork nobody in Hollywood holds a candle to John Krasinski and Emily Blunt. They’ve been building their own individual movie stardom — with roles in Jack Ryan and Mary Poppins Returns, to name a few — but it’s their joint venture, A Quiet Place, that solidified their place on the Entertainers of the Year list. The couple’s longtime pal Matt Damon explains why they’re just getting started.

Ariana Grande

There aren’t really words to describe the year Ariana Grande has had — but, luckily for us, Troye Sivan found them. The singer and Ariana collaborator spoke glowingly to EW about her strength, her growth, and her talent.

Queer Eye’s Fab 5

Nicole Kidman

The Big Little Lies actress is everywhere this award season — she’s taking on the superhero genre in Aquaman and tackling indie drama with roles in Boy Erased and Destroyer. The theme of motherhood stands out among all of her 2018 accomplishments, and her Destroyer director Karyn Kusama says it’s all because of her willingness to be open and gutsy at the same time.

Sandra Oh

Is there anything more fulfilling than having Sandra Oh back on television? And to top it off, in an epic leading role. Killing Eve has earned her many praises and fans, and chief among those comes from Schitt’s Creek‘s Daniel Levy, who explains his love to EW.

Christine Baranski

The world at large doesn’t deserve Christine Baranski (especially in 2018) but there is one person, in particular, who does: Audra McDonald. The six-time Tony winner (and her The Good Fight costar) sings the praises of the 13-time Emmy nominee.