Jack Whitehall has been confirmed as returning to host the BRIT Awards for the sixth time in 2026, as the ceremony moves to Manchester.
Next year’s instalment of the prestigious awards ceremony will be held outside of London for the first time in its nearly-50-year history – taking place at the Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday February 28.
Today (Tuesday December 9), it has been confirmed that comedian, actor, presenter and writer Jack Whitehall is making a return to hosting duties, and will be taking on the slot for the sixth time.
He previously hosted in 2025, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018, while Mo Gilligan took on the job in 2022 and 2023, and Clara Amfo, Maya Jama and Roman Kemp co-presented in 2024.
This morning, he announced the news with a new ‘Ode To Manchester’ video on social media, showing him in front of a green screen and celebrating various things the city is best recognised for.
“Forged in the fires of the industrial revolution, hallowed land of the raver, it’s even got a Soho House now,” he says, also going on to make nods to Coronation Street, the invention of the barm cake, the Curry Mile, and the rich musical history.
Whitehall also shared in a new statement that he went to university in Manchester, and credits the city as one of the places that helped shape his early comedy career.
“I am so excited to be coming back for this very special BRIT Awards in Manchester, a place that is so important to me,” he explained.
“The city I started my comedy career in, it feels like a real full circle moment returning to host this historic night at the Co-op Live, a venue that is only a stone’s throw away from the comedy club I did my first 10 minute set in all those years ago. Hopefully I get a few more laughs than I did that night. I cannot wait.”
Last week, the BRITs confirmed the shortlist for the 2026 Critics’ Choice Award – naming Jacob Alon, Rose Gray and SIENNA SPIRO as the top three.
They follow in the footsteps of previous winners including Adele, Florence and the Machine, Ellie Goulding and more, and The Last Dinner Party and Myles Smith took home the title in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Since the award was introduced in 2008, it has been considered a reliable barometer in predicting the next generation of British talent.
In November, the trophy design for the 2026 edition of the ceremony was revealed. The project was led by acclaimed British designer Matthew Williamson, who drew inspiration from “his Manchester roots and the city’s famous drive and resilience”.
The trophy is made out of an amber-toned resin – resembling the golden honey of a worker bee (which is Manchester’s mascot) atop a globe representing the worldwide reach of British music.
With today’s announcement that Jack Whitehall is returning to host, Stacey Tang, Chair of the 2026 BRIT Awards Committee and Co-President of RCA Records at Sony Music UK shared: “Jack is absolutely brilliant at his craft so we are thrilled to welcome him back and excited for the fun and mischief he’s bound to bring to the show again this year.
“His legacy hosting the awards speaks for itself and as the BRITs enters a new era, in a city familiar to him, there’s nobody better placed to take the helm of the biggest night in music.”
The slot also comes after the comedian faced some backlash for comments he made on stage at The O2 for the 2025 event, when he poked fun at Becky Hill – calling her ‘Wetherspoons Whitney’ and assuming she was less well off because of her Midlands accent.
Hitting out at his comments Hill, who is from Bewdley, Worcestershire, later shared: “Imagine being called a ‘Wetherspoons Whitney’ by some privately educated nepo baby who has a TV show with daddy the showbiz agent on national TV.
“My parents worked so hard to provide a middle class life for me, even tho they couldn’t afford it, no one gave me a leg up, I wasn’t near London so I couldn’t go to the BRIT School. So if you associate a Midlands accent with a Wetherspoons that says more about the silver spoon in your mouth jolly ol’ boy.”