Mariska Hargitay had a bigger night at the People’s Choice Awards than people knew.
The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star celebrated her win for Drama TV Star at the ceremony to enjoy a great victory.
That was despite Kathy Hilton distracting viewers with her decision to apply makeup during Hargitay’s speech.
However, the actress also shared how she had a fun backstage encounter with Kelly Clarkson’s daughter River Rose.
That included a delightful talk with the young girl, as Clarkson was clearly happy to see the pair together, shown in a TikTok video.
This made for a great night for Hargitay, despite the controversial Kathy Hilton distraction.
Hargitay and Kelly Clarkson’s fun meeting
As shown on TikTok, Hargitay met backstage with Kelly Clarkson and the singer/talk show host’s 8-year-old daughter River Rose Blackstock.
Clarkson also celebrated that night, winning the Daytime Talk Show award.
The video showed Hargitay speaking to River Rose about appearing on Clarkson’s show last year.
Hargitay gushed to River Rose on how “lucky” she was to be on Clarkson’s show and how she cried listening to Clarkson perform Hargitay’s favorite song.
“Not a lot of people can do that where they sing and it goes like a ray of light into someone’s soul. And that’s what your mom does.”
Clarkson quickly added, “And vice versa, I’m a huge fan of hers.”
Hargitay also enjoyed showing her flowing green gown and thanking The Closet Files for the design in an Instagram post from last night.
Mariska Hargitay’s big night is nearly spoiled
Mariska Hargitay is no stranger to the People’s Choice Awards. The actress who plays Captain Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit had already won Best Actress in a TV Drama in 2018.
This year, Hargitay was up for Female TV Star, which Ellen Pompeo won for Grey’s Anatomy.
Hargitay did win the Drama TV Star award, which mixed both male and female actors.
Hargitay delivered a warm and heartfelt speech that touched upon how much this meant to her. She also singled out how it used the words “People” and “Choice” to celebrate the best in humanity.
“I love this award so much because of the two words in it. These two very, very important words that make this experience of life so extraordinary. …’People,’ and that’s people from all origins, ethnicities, creeds, gender, identities, that make this whole glorious mix of all of us that is the human race…And the second word that’s even more important is ‘Choice.’ So I just want to celebrate our ability in all of us, the willingness in all of us, to choose kindness and compassion and courage and to choose to listen and to learn and to build a bridge between our differences and our divides. That’s more important than ever right now
However, the moment was marred by Kathy Hilton being caught on camera applying lipstick during Hargitay’s speech.
This has led to a massive online backlash against The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star for her behavior.
Hargitay did not comment on that but did have a special backstage encounter with a famous fan.
While she didn’t speak on the Hilton incident, Hargitay clearly loved the night from meeting Clarkson to gaining the award and the reminder of how much fans love her on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.