Project Angel Food's annual Angel Awards honored philanthropist and celebrated television writer-producer Chuck Lorre with the Founders Angel Award, the organization's highest honor, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Los Angeles. In Project Angel Food's nearly four-decade history, the award has been presented only once before — in 2014, to founder Marianne Williamson and her co-founders. The benefit raised more than a million dollars which will support the organization’s operating costs, as Project Angel Food prepares and delivers more than 1.5 million medically tailored meals each year to thousands of people living with life-threatening illnesses at zero cost to them.

Lorre's daughter, director Nikki Lorre, presented her father with the award, saying: “There is one thing that my father has taught me: it’s that we are stronger when we take care of each other… I know that all the shows he’s created, the stories he’s told and the laughter he’s evoked throughout the years will surely be the highlight of my dad’s legacy. But it’s his relentless, altruistic spirit that I will always hold closest to my heart and try, in any way I can, to live up to it.”

“My deep thanks to Project Angel Food. I consider it an absolute privilege to be participating in your mission. Having experienced hunger, this is personal for me. No matter how blessed I’ve been in my career, it’s hard to forget top ramen in hot water, or the high cuisine of ketchup soup.” said Chuck Lorre. “I’d love to express my gratitude to all of the people who’ve devoted their lives to making Project Angel Food an oasis for those in need.”

Earlier in the evening, Emmy-winning star of “Abbott Elementary” Sheryl Lee Ralph, introduced Project Angel Food CEO Richard Ayoub, who underscored their shared mission: “Everyone is here tonight because you believed in our dream. You believed that food is more than food. That when someone is facing a critical illness, a healthy meal can be part of their care. That a meal can say: ‘You are not alone.’ Project Angel Food is rising to that challenge, and you are rising with us.”

Ayoub added: “If it weren’t for Chuck and the incredible team at The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation, this brand new kitchen would not be standing today. [They] do not simply write a check they become a true partner. They roll up their sleeves. They bring people together. And they inspire others to believe in what is possible.”

The $55.5 million The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation Campus has opened its kitchen and will soon break  ground on its second building, The Community Outreach Center, in October. The foundation’s support has enabled Project Angel Food to triple their annual meal-production capacity from 1.5 million to more than 4.5 medically tailored meals over time for seriously ill Angelenos.

Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum rock band Barenaked Ladies performed an electrifying set, which included “One Week,” “Pinch Me,” and “The History of Everything” — the theme song to Lorre’s “Big Bang Theory.” Composed of Ed Robertson (guitar, vocals), Jim Creeggan (bass, vocals), Kevin Hearn (keyboards, guitar, vocals), and Tyler Stewart (drums, vocals), the group’s career spans more than three decades, producing a catalog of enduring hits.

Emcee for the night’s program was Emmy Award-winner Loni Love; with actress and stand-up comedian Caroline Rhea leading the live auction, featuring an exclusive VIP Oscar Experience with Giorgio Armani; a 2027 Dodgers VIP Game Day Experience; and an Ultimate South Africa and Victoria Falls Safari Adventure. To conclude, all attending guests had the opportunity to donate $1,000 to enter a sweepstakes in the hopes of winning an exclusive ‘Date Night for a Year’ experience from Steak 48, featuring dinner for two every month for a full calendar year at the Beverly Hills fine dining steakhouse.

Additional attendees included cast members from “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” Will Sasso, and Jessie Prez; and “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe” Lauren Lapkus, Kevin Sussman, and John Ross Bowie; LeVar Burton, William Stanford Davis, Lawrence Zarian, and Gregory Zarian.

Executives included Channing Dungey, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group and US Networks; Brett Paul, president, Warner Bros. Television Group and chief operating officer, US Networks Group; Clancy Collins White, EVP, creative affairs, Warner Bros. Television Group; Amy Gravitt, EVP, HBO Programming, head of HBO & Max Comedy Series; Amy Reisenbach, president, CBS Entertainment; Andy Weil, head of comedy, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios. Seated with Mr. Lorre were The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation’s president & chief giving officer Trisha Cardoso and director & CFO Steve Gelon.

Chuck Lorre is one of the most successful and prolific comedy creators in television history. Over more than three decades, he has created, executive produced or written more than 1,500 episodes of television, with a legacy defined by some of the most successful and enduring comedies ever produced, including global phenomenon “The Big Bang Theory” and “Two and a Half Men.” His long string of hits also includes “Young Sheldon,” “Mom,” “Mike & Molly,” “The Kominsky Method,” “Dharma & Greg,” “Cybill,” and “Grace Under Fire.”

Guests also received advance copies of Lorre's upcoming autobiography, Sitcom: A Memoir (HarperCollins, out Oct. 13).

Project Angel Food’s Angel Awards were made possible with generous support from presenting sponsors Warner Bros. Television, Cedars-Sinai Medical Group, and Wells Fargo Bank; and principal sponsors UTA Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Paramount, Amazon, Berlanti Productions, Meridith Baer Home, John Cole and Monte Overstreet, and Project Angel Food board member Mary D. Fisher. All proceeds support Project Angel Food’s vital mission to nourish the health and spirit of individuals facing critical and life-threatening illnesses by preparing and delivering medically tailored meals with love, care, and dignity.