The Hasty Pudding Honors Rose Byrne as 2026’s Woman of the Year
Bracing the cold afternoon on Feb. 13, an eager crowd gathered along Massachusetts Avenue, indulging in complimentary mini-waffle bites. Cameras ready, spectators watched as dancers and improv comedians made their way down the avenue, escorting the white Bentley carrying the reason for the festivities: Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress, Rose Byrne.
Byrne is the Harvard Hasty Pudding Theatrical’s 76th Woman of the Year, honored a week after actor Michael Keaton. Byrne was celebrated with a parade through Harvard Square ending at Farkas Hall, where she was set to be roasted prior to a press conference and performance of Hasty Pudding’s 177th production, “Salooney Tunes.”
Byrne made her debut in the Australian 1994 comedy “Dallas Doll,” and worked heavily in Australian film and television before breaking into Hollywood with projects like Sofia Coppola’s 2006 drama, “Marie Antoinette.” Although she has displayed her range with an array of roles across genres, Byrne has established herself as a leading comedic actress, starring in acclaimed comedies like the 2011 classic, “Bridesmaids,” directed by Paul Feig.
Byrne’s celebration comes just a month before the 98th Academy Awards, where she will be up for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Mary Bronstein’s psychological dramedy, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” marking her first Oscar nomination. Recently, she won a Golden Globe in January for her performance in the film.
Surrounded by Hasty Pudding members adorned in ornate and eye-catching costumes, Byrne waved at the cheering crowd. Ahead of her, musicians played Louis Armstrong’s “When The Saints Go Marching In” and members of one of Harvard’s improv comedy troupes, the Immediate Gratification Players, threw rice at the crowd. Excited spectators all did their best to get a closer look, and even a selfie, with the actress. When the parade reached Farkas Hall, Byrne joined the Pudding cast and their assistant choreographer in a kick line before disappearing into the hall.
At 7 p.m. that night, Pudding President Daisy M. Nussbaum ’26 and Cast Vice President Isabel V. S. Wilson ’26 welcomed Byrne to the stage for her roast. Wilson hailed Byrne as “one of Hollywood’s most versatile actresses” before poking fun at her new film’s box office performance. This playful jab became a running joke of the night, with Wilson praising Byrne’s range and diverse filmography in movies, “that never made their money back.”
Byrne laughed and played along with every quip. Nussbaum and Wilson sat down with Byrne in a mock therapy session in an ode to her “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” character Linda’s therapy sessions with her therapist, played by actor, comedian, and Harvard alum Conan C. O’Brien ’85. Holding up different images, they asked Byrne what she saw. After examining a Rorschach inkblot, she concluded it looked “like a vagina.”
In a jest about her roles in the “Peter Rabbit” franchise, Hasty Pudding cast member Will W. Jevon ’27 took to the stage in a rabbit costume for a scene. With only a moment to prepare, Byrne acted alongside the mock Peter Rabbit and assumed the role of his wife, upset about his late night return and drug use in a script for “Peter Rabbit 3.” The audience roared as she revealed the drug of choice — a carrot.
Then, referencing her 2011 film, “Bridesmaids,” the roast’s host threw her a wedding. Now as a bride with four bridesmaids of her own, played by Hasty Pudding members Bernardo de Moura Sequeira ’26, Jackson G. P. Coombs ’26, Arwen T. Y. Zhang ’26, and Matthew Chen ’26, Byrne delivered vows to the Hasty Pudding Pot — presented by “Saloony Tunes” writers Gunnar Sizemore ’27 and Benjamin D. Langman ’26 — but not before joking that it had been, “with 75 other women.” To seal the marriage, Byrne kissed the Pot and held up her award for the cheering audience. When Nussbaum asked if she had anything more to say, she responded with a simple, “No,” laughing and waving as she left the stage.
At the press conference, Byrne spoke about her process approaching roles across different genres. She argued that the stakes for comedy are just as high as in drama, if not higher, so she thinks about each kind of character she plays with the same care. The actress noted that comedy “is a serious business.”
Byrne also remarked on her upcoming return to the stage in a revival of Noël Coward’s 1925 play “Fallen Angels,” directed by Scott Ellis where she will be acting alongside Kelli O’Hara. Thinking about her experience in the theater, Byrne noted that she had fun being “onstage and doing a scene” just minutes prior.
“I haven’t been in a play in five years,” Byrne told reporters. “I was like maybe I can still do this.”
Byrne’s presence on Feb. 13 seemed to be as much a pleasure for Hasty Pudding staff as it was for audiences.
Hasty Pudding Theatrical’s Press and Marketing Manager Chaelon Simpson ’26 remarked that Byrne was “one of the kindest souls” he had ever met.
In between her repeated gratitude, Byrne’s sportsmanship and jovial demeanor shone through, joking about the costumes worn by Hasty Pudding Band Vice President Weston Lewin ’26 and member of the Hasty Pudding tech crew John F. Kulow ’26.
“Oh! You’re in drag?” she jokingly asked.
After a highly anticipated activity-filled celebration, Hasty Pudding’s 76th Woman of the Year Rose Byrne returned to the theater for the show.
— Staff writer Dzifa A. Ackuayi can be reached at dzifa.ackuayi@thecrimson.com
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