Kai Schreiber, the 17-year-old daughter of actress Naomi Watts and actor Liev Schreiber, won the Breakthrough Model of the Year award at The Daily Front Row's Fashion Media Awards on Friday, using her acceptance speech to reveal she is the first transgender girl to receive the honor.
The ceremony took place at Rockefeller Center's Rainbow Room in New York City, where video shot by the Daily Mail captured Schreiber telling the audience it felt surreal to be celebrated for her modeling so early in her career.
Schreiber said she had been "so graciously welcomed into this beautiful world of fashion," adding that she was "so beyond excited that I get to learn more about it every day and call it my job."
"I'm also the first transgender girl to win this award," she told the crowd, drawing the loudest applause of her speech.
Acceptance speech
Schreiber said the award was "surreal and wouldn't be possible if it weren't for all my sisters who paved the way for me in this industry." She added, "I carry that with me into every room."
She closed her speech by thanking her family "for their unconditional support and devotion to making me happy and making my dreams come true," saying, "I'm so lucky to be supported by you." She ended with, "To say the least, I've found my fashion family, and I couldn't be more happy."
Schreiber also thanked the team at Valentino, who designed her outfit, "for not only designing this outfit, but for being the ones that introduced me to this community and continued to believe in me."
Red carpet look
Schreiber wore a lime-green mini dress with voluminous long sleeves and tonal polka dots, paired with sheer stockings decorated with floral designs. She completed the look with towering white heels decorated with gold studs, an opulent diamond necklace, and her blond hair pulled back in a tight bun.
Watts, 57, joined her daughter on the red carpet before the ceremony began, wearing a pale brown pleated tunic with skinny jeans and aquamarine-colored suede heels that complemented Schreiber's shoes. Watts carried a small studded black handbag, while Schreiber carried a boxy black clutch.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Schreiber's representatives for comment.
Family background
Watts shares Kai and her older brother, 19-year-old Sasha Schreiber, with Liev Schreiber, 58. The pair were in a relationship from 2005 to 2016. Naomi Watts is known for films including Mulholland Drive and The Ring, while Liev Schreiber has starred in Ray Donovan.
Liev Schreiber, who married Taylor Neisen in 2023, spoke to Variety in May about his initial reaction when Kai came out as transgender.
"Kai was always who Kai is. But I suppose the most profound moment was her asking us to change her pronouns," he said. "To be honest with you, it didn't feel like that big of a deal to me only because Kai had been so feminine for so long."
"Kai is such a fighter," he added. "It's important that she goes, 'Hey, I am trans,' and, 'Look at me,' and, 'F*** you. F*** off.'"
Schreiber, who has previously disputed claims that his daughter is a "nepo baby," said he steered clear of giving advice to parents of other transgender children because he feared he would "overstep" by treating all situations the same way.
Co-parenting after the split
Watts and Schreiber have maintained a positive co-parenting relationship since their 2016 split. Speaking to Net-a-Porter in 2019, Watts said, "We're doing things very differently. I'm pretty proud of us, corny as that may sound."
"We've made it our absolute priority to be good and kind to each other and we're absolutely committed to that," she added.
After splitting from Schreiber, Watts began a relationship with actor Billy Crudup, known for The Morning Show and Almost Famous, and the pair married in 2023.
