Kathy Hilton knows how to steal the show.
During the 2022 People's Choice Awards, held Dec. 6 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif, Mariska Hargitay was presented with the award for Drama TV Star of 2022 by the cast of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. In her impassioned acceptance speech, the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit expressed her gratitude for her fans and desire for unity in the world. (See all the winners here and all the stars on the red carpet here.)
"I love this award so much because of the two words in it," Mariska said. "The word of course, the first word is people. And that's people from all origins and all ethnicities and all creeds, and all genders and all identity that make this whole glorious mix of all of us."
The 58-year-old continued, "The second word, and 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."
In the back, Kathy appeared distracted. In the camera shot, the reality star pulled out a lipstick tube of her purse and gave herself an onstage touch up.
Viewers quickly took to social media to comment on Kathy, yet some say endearing, actions. "Not Kathy Hilton reapplying lipstick on stage from her Valentino bag," one user tweeted along with a crying emoji, while another wrote, "Kathy Hilton putting on lipstick while someone gives an emotional acceptance speech is what keeps me on my couch."
Earlier in the evening, Kathy and her RHOB costars were up for The Reality Show of 2022, but were beat out by Hulu's The Kardashians.
Mariska's SVU later lost out to Grey's Anatomy in the Drama Series of 2022 category. The actress—who has starred as Olivia Benson hit NBC crime series since 1999—previously took home the People's Choice Award for Drama TV Star of 2018.
But it's not just the people who adore Mariska. Earlier this year, Ice-T sang the actress' praises, revealing the co-stars were friends before he joined SVU in 2000.
"We lived on Sunset Plaza," he told E! News in September. "Her family house was up the hill and my house was a little lower."
The rapper—who shares daughter Letesha Marrow, 46, with ex Adrienne Marrow, son Tracy Jr. Marrow, 31, with ex Darlene Ortiz, and his youngest, 7-year-old Chanel, with wife Coco—also admitted he and Mariska remain just as close IRL as their onscreen characters.
"I tell Mariska, I have four women in my life, but I've made more money with Mariska," he joked. "So she ranks really high in my women I care about."
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)