Who received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2025 Governors Awards?

Dolly Parton received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2025 Governors Awards.

The Academy presented the honor at its 16th Governors Awards ceremony on November 16, 2025, in Los Angeles. Parton was recognized for decades of charitable work, particularly her efforts in literacy, education and support for children and families.

Her Imagination Library, created through the Dollywood Foundation in 1995, distributes free books to young children. That program became one of the clearest examples of why the Academy selected her: the award honors humanitarian service connected to the motion-picture community, not competitive achievement in a specific film category.

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is an Oscar statuette, but it is distinct from the Academy Honorary Award. The same Governors Awards ceremony gave Honorary Oscars to Debbie Allen, Tom Cruise and Wynn Thomas. Parton had previously received two Oscar nominations for Best Original Song, but this was her first Academy statuette.