“What the hell is going on?” Jason Bateman asked, knowing full well that he was flown first-class to Cambridge in order to receive a metal pot from a few college kids in drag.
The Hasty Pudding Institute—home to Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the Hasty Pudding Club, and the A Capella group the Krokodiloes— bestows two awards every year: Man of the Year, since 1967, and Woman of the Year, since 1951. Dedicated to those who have “made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment,” the award has honored celebrities such as Ryan Reynolds (2017), Amy Poehler (2015), Justin Timberlake (2010), and Scarlett Johannson (2007), among dozens of other talented stars.
After a short Covid-19 hiatus, Man and Woman of the Year (affectionately known as MOY and WOY) came back in full force, starting with the presentation of the award to Emmy-award winning actor Jason Bateman on February 3rd. The recent star of the hit crime drama Ozark as Marty Byrde, Bateman’s celebration focused on his start as a child actor in Little House on the Prairie and Silver Spoons. When the actors roasting him on stage asked, “What would you say to your former self?” Bateman said, “I’m so sorry, young man.” The actors retorted, “Does it get any better?” His reply was a steely-faced “No.” And in response to his early exit from high school to pursue acting, Bateman spoke to the audience, perplexed: “How does Harvard give an award to anyone without a high school diploma?”
While never before being honored with the title “Best Washed-Up Child Actor,” Bateman was previously honored for his celebrated work during the pandemic: producing the interview/comedy podcast “SmartLess” with Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, which won an iHeartRadio podcast award this year. Perhaps most importantly, though, we at the Independent learned a crucial fact in the press conference following the presentation of the award: Bateman will, in fact, be placing his pudding pot above his hard-earned Emmy in his trophy pile, since of course, as he put it, “You can’t put your pudding in an Emmy.”
The WOY award presentation began early in the day on February 5th as Jennifer Garner paraded around campus in a large red Bentley, accompanied by the Harvard Marching Band and a swath of storybook-inspired outfits. To the adoring rows of a crowd that followed her down Massachusetts Avenue, Jennifer Garner was welcomed warmly onto the streets of Harvard.
Similar to Bateman, securing the coveted pudding pot was no easy feat for Garner. Garner performed on a long-lost childhood saxophone (which she personally named “Sally the Sexy Saxophone”)—a little-known talent of Garner’s.
In regard to her work, Garner was praised for her philanthropic endeavors for early education in rural America, as well as serving as an Artist Ambassador for Save the Children, a fund dedicated to improving the quality of life of children around the world. Wrapping up the press conference, Garner was asked a variety of deep and prodding questions, including what she would call favorite Ina Garten recipe (the Banana Crunch Muffin, for inquisitive readers). She also pondered the question we’ve all been begging to ask for years: “Jennifer Garner, what is in your wallet?” Rather than a wallet of polaroids or family photos, she walked us through her full selection of Capital One cards. Garner told future WOY honorees to either “get ready to have a blast” or “stay home and send me instead,” before insisting, “I have a show to go to. I am so sorry, but I’m the Woman of the Year.”
What none of this really explains is the drag. The MOY and WOY awards preceded this year’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals performance: Ship Happens, a cruise-themed comedy featuring male models, wealthy oil barons, and, yes, a lot of drag. Characters donned costumes from witches to Humpty Dumpty, Little Bo Peep, and even a cactus.
Jason Bateman seemed to be right: What the hell really did go on? Attending a press conference with Jennifer Garner next to both a sophomore in full-body tucan suit and well-endowed drag queen was not on our list of first-year Harvard experiences, and neither was listening to Jason Bateman belt out “Eternal Flame” after a strenuous swash-buckle with his faux-younger self. Not that we’re complaining about either, though.
Perhaps that was the point: that absolutely nothing made sense. Even the night’s most steady recognitions to philanthropy and acting inspirations felt foggy behind a backdrop of chaotic craftiness. The Hasty Pudding owned this night of nonsensicalness, and yet, the performance still felt complete. In a word: camp.
Were both evenings worth their triple-digit price tags? We can’t judge that because we had press passes. From a purely theatrical perspective, it’s hard to justify the expense. The moments of confusion expressed by the two honorees were a good portion of the fun. Nonetheless, there were times when this disconnect felt especially prominent, and the awkwardness may have outweighed the charm.
That seems to be what MOY and WOY are all about—turning a simple award into an occasion. Perhaps these roasts alone aren’t what will bring us back to the Hasty Pudding, but their dedication to satirical self-reflection and willingness to make something memorable out of the absurd.
We’ll certainly be back to see who gets the honor of kissing the pudding pot next.
Dan Ennis ’25 (djennis@college.harvard.edu) really didn’t know who Jason Bateman was.
Calvin Osborne ’25 (cosborne@college.harvard.edu) is just happy to talk about camp.