The Golden Globes made quite a big comeback last night. The 80th annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony took place at the Beverly Hilton on Tuesday, Jan. 10, marking its return after NBC refused to air the awards in 2022 after the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that runs them, was accused of racism, sexism, and corruption. This was the Globes’ first fully attended ceremony after last year’s boycotts and after the 2021 awards ceremony was held remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The HFPA attempted to right their wrongs, adding more diversity to its list of nominees, presenters, and winners, as well as tapping a Black host for the first time in the show’s history. Host Jerrod Carmichael may have accepted the opportunity but not without giving them hell for waiting until they were under scrutiny to make changes. As far as diversity within the nominees, Quinta Brunson, Angela Bassett, Tyler James Williams, and Zendaya were among the night’s big winners, so the HFPA might be off to a good start going forward. (They did make Rihanna, who was nominated for best original song for Black Panther: Wakanda’s Forever “Lift Me Up,” attend the show just to not give her the award but they will have to answer for that crime another time.)
As one of the few awards ceremonies that recognize both the biggest motion picture and television achievements, viewers were able to celebrate alongside the stars and creators behind their favorite projects of the past year. Presenters like Regina Hall and Jennifer Coolidge also provided plenty of humor throughout the show, while winners like Everything Everywhere All at Once star Ke Huy Quan kicked off the night full of emotion (He tearfully thanked Steven Spielberg for helping him start his career when he was a child star) and set the tone for the rest of the overall feel-good night.
The Golden Globes are also known to give a bit of a glimpse into what’s to come from The Academy Awards and so far, this year’s Globe winners and nominees are surely helping us prepare our predictions for who is and isn’t taking home an Oscar. Here’s a quick recap of the night’s best moments and key takeaways from last night’s show.
Jerrod Carmichael crushes as host
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The comedian started his opening monologue by giving a rundown of the controversy that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has been facing, in part due to lack of representation. Carmichael is the first Black host in the show’s 80-year history, (The mere fact that we’re still saying “first Black” in any context in 2023 is shameful) and said the only reason he was offered the hosting gig was because of his race and the predicament the HFPA found themselves in.
Former BET President of Programming Stephen Hill produced the show and was the one who reached out to Carmichael to ask him to host. “One minute you’re making mint tea, the next thing you’re the face of an embattled white organization,” the comedian quipped about the initial phone call, adding, “I’m only being asked to host this because I’m Black.” He then said he was offered $500,000 for the gig, and that’s why he accepted.
While some may have already been familiar with his dark sense of humor and comedic style thanks to The Carmichael Show or his groundbreaking HBO special Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel and thought he was a great addition to the show, others found it offputting and offensive, pointing out a Whitney Houston joke (she died in 2012 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where the award show took place) or him telling the audience to “Shut the f-ck up.” Either way, if people didn’t know who Carmichael was before yesterday, they know him now. —Karla Rodriguez
Angela Bassett gives Marvel a big win
'Abbott Elementary' comes for the crown
Zendaya won the award for best actress in a TV drama series for her work on HBO’s Euphoria. The actress did not attend the ceremony, so the presenters, Top Gun: Maverick stars Glen Powell and Jay Ellis, accepted it on her behalf. She was also the first winner of the night not to attend the ceremony. Like with the rest of the winners not in attendance, the presenters had to make it clear why they couldn’t attend to ensure the viewers they weren’t purposely skipping or boycotting the show. “Zendaya couldn’t be with us tonight, so we are going to accept this award on her behalf,” Ellis said. “She’s busy, she’s working y’all. It’s a good thing.”
The win was her first at the Golden Globes, after previously racking up two Emmys for her Euphoria performance. This time around she was up against Emma D’Arcy from House of the Dragon, Laura Linney from Ozark), Imelda Staunton from The Crown) and Hilary Swank from Alaska Daily.
Zendaya, who finished filming on Dune: Part Two last month, reacted to her win following the ceremony via Instagram. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to be there tonight, but I just wanted to say thank you to @goldenglobes for this incredible honor. To my fellow nominees, it is a privilege to be named beside you, I admire you all deeply,” she wrote in the post’s caption. “Thank you to my Euphoria family, without you, none of this is possible. Lastly, thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has allowed Rue into theirs. I think everyone knows how much she means to me, but the fact that she can mean something to someone else is a gift. I’m honestly at a loss for words as I type this, all I can say is thank you thank you thank you. Goodnight.”
'Fabelmans' is your oscars frontrunner
'RRR' makes a splash
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While RRR, S. S. Rajamouli’s Tollywood smash action epic, competed for best international feature at the Globes, it won’t at the Oscars and therefore is trying to find other ways to make a splash and seemingly settled into one last night: Best Original Song for “Naatu Naatu.” For those unaware, about a quarter of the way through the movie leads Indian revolutionaries Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) break into a song and dance routine that’s just as captivating and compelling as the action sequences themselves. Screenings of the film often break out into dance parties during the sequence. Composer M. M. Keeravani and lyricist Chandrabose beat out a cavalcade of heavy hitters including Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna (!) to win the prize and established itself as the front-runner in the category in the process. It’s likely the same will happen at the Oscars in a few weeks and will be a nice way to reward a movie whose impact is still ongoing. —William Goodman
Will Smith may have been left out of this year’s list of nominees at the Golden Globes but he was surely remembered in the show’s writer’s room. While the actor’s performance in Emancipation and the film were largely ignored by the award show, his faux pas involving Chris Rock at last year’s Oscars was brought up on more than one occasion. Carmichael used the Oscars slap as a punchline for one of his jokes, saying that Smith was given an award for “best portrayal of masculinity on television.”
Eddie Murphy also couldn’t resist quoting the actor during his acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille Award. “I want to let you know that there is a definitive blueprint that you can follow to achieve success, prosperity, and peace of mind,” Murphy said to close out his short speech. “Pay your taxes, mind your business and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out of your f-cking mouth.”
Smith should expect that he provided comedians with material for years to come (Even Terrence Howard’s character quotes the now infamous line in The Best Man: The Final Chapters) but only time will tell if The Academy will allow jokes inspired by The Slap at this year’s show or if they will be banned like they banned Smith. —Karla Rodriguez
The show felt like a true Oscars preview
