In the middle of Bravo’s Las Culturistas Culture Awards, hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers performed Mandy Moore’s “Only Hope” moments before Moore sang it herself at the ceremony, which was filmed in late May in Los Angeles and aired Wednesday night on Bravo a
By the time Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers pushed their way into “Only Hope,” the room had already decided it wanted a big, messy moment.
It happened as the 2026 edition of Bravo’s Las Culturistas Culture Awards wound down. The co-hosts chose one of the nominees for Record of the Year—Mandy Moore’s “Only Hope”—and turned it into a campy performance a few minutes before Moore sang the song herself at the ceremony.
Moore’s appearance landed as the show’s camera stayed tight on emotion: she stepped out dressed in a white Hellenic gown and delivered the tune with the same oversized feeling the hosts had built. At one point. another couple joined the stage. and Yang and Rogers “swooned” at her from the side before the moment shifted back toward the trio format.
The sequence began with Rogers taking the lead over the piano melody. singing melodramatically until Yang jumped in for a run at the verses. Yang’s voice rose into a higher register. and the audience answered with movement—phone flashlights waving in the air as a couple danced onstage next to them. Then the hosts introduced Moore. When she sang the lyric “I know now, you’re my only hope,” the applause broke wide open. Yang and Rogers returned to pull the song into a trio. closing it in three-part harmony as the crowd roared again.
It wasn’t just a performance planted in the middle of the night. Moore’s version of the song is rooted in the same early-2000s feeling the audience seemed to recognize instantly: she recorded her take on Switchfoot’s “Only Hope” for the soundtrack to A Walk to Remember. the 2002 film Moore starred in alongside Shane West. Her version later appeared on The Best of Mandy Moore two years after that.
The Culture Awards itself had been in motion long before the “Only Hope” moment. Rogers and Yang—who also helm the Las Culturistas podcast—hosted the 2026 edition’s trophy toss in Los Angeles last month. and the show is available to stream on Peacock. The program, now aired on Bravo and Peacock Wednesday night, was filmed in late May in Los Angeles. The producers describe the show as one that “celebrates culture’s most iconic and consequential moments,” with 100 awards categories.
The night kept its pace with music performances and celebrity cameos. Earlier in the show, Will Ferrell, Ben Platt, Brittany Snow, and Malin Akerman all made appearances, setting up the kind of playful, star-heavy tone that Moore’s late-stage entrance ultimately matched—right down to the last note.
And by the time the three-part harmony landed, the difference between nostalgia and a live room full of strangers felt small. For a few minutes at least, everyone in the audience was singing back at the same memory together.
Mandy Moore Only Hope Bowen Yang Matt Rogers Las Culturistas Culture Awards Record of the Year A Walk to Remember Switchfoot Shane West Peacock Bravo
Only Hope winning awards?? I thought that song was like 2000s old old lol.
Sounds like they just shoved everyone on stage and called it “culture.” Still though Mandy Moore can sing, so I can’t be mad. Were they filming in May or like just vibes in LA? 😂
Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers “pushed their way into” the song like security?? I mean I guess that’s the bit. Also the whole Hellenic gown thing… random. I’m confused if Mandy was already there before they started or if the crowd did it first.
The phones flashlights part is cool but also kinda annoying like okay we get it, it’s a moment. Why they turning Record of the Year into a campy performance tho? Like the category is serious right? Also I swear I heard “Only Hope” in some other show and now it’s winning Culture Awards like it’s connected to The Office or something. not even sure but yeah Mandy sounded good.