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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
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
Angela Bassett’s well-deserved win for her portrayal of Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever made history last night as the first-ever acting win for a Marvel movie at the Golden Globes. Previously only four actors (and notably, no women) had ever garnered a Golden Globe nomination for a superhero movie. That list is Ryan Reynolds for the first Deadpool and then three portrayals of the Joker including Jack Nicholson for Batman, Joaquin Phoenix for Joker, and (of course) Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight. With Bassett’s win, a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars is basically a lock. A win, however, is likely a more difficult path. Either way, after an up-and-down Phase 4 for Marvel, the studio can count this as an unimpeachably great victory. —William Goodman
'Abbott Elementary' comes for the crown
The cast and creators behind Abbott Elementary winning big this award season should not come as a surprise to anyone, but that doesn’t mean that the wins are any less satisfying for the show’s fans, creators, and supporters. The ABC sitcom took home three awards, including best actress in a comedy series for Quinta Brunson, best-supporting actor for Tyler James Williams, and best comedy series. Abbott was up against other fan favorites like The Bear, Hacks, Only Murders in the Building, and Wednesday in the best comedy category.
“I’m going to pull it together to say that we made this show because we love comedy and we love tv. This is my cast and I love them. I don’t know where I’d be without them,” Brunson said. “We get to make this show for everyone. During a very tough time in this country, I’m happy that Abbott Elementary is able to make so many people laugh.”
During her speech, Brunson, the show’s creator and star, also to the time to namecheck people in the audience like Henry Winkler, Bob Odenkirk, and Seth Rogen and thanked them for being her comedic inspirations and the reasons why she wanted to make comedies. (Brad Pitt also received a shout-out simply for being Brad Pitt.) —Karla Rodriguez
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
We haven’t written much about The Fabelmans on the site yet, but I was really taken by Steven Speilberg’s latest, a Hydra-like film that’s far denser and meaner than its feel-good marketing campaign would otherwise suggest. Falling in the Roma zone—i.e., a wunderkind filmmaker reflecting on his past—Fabelmans juggles three pretty hefty plots: the difficulties of growing up as a Jewish kid in a non-Jewish neighborhood, his budding talents behind the camera, and coming to terms with the divorce of his parents. That sounds pretty straightforward (and mostly is) but the way in which one of our capital G “great” filmmakers is very clearly still working out his feelings about his past in real-time is something to behold—and something members of awards bodies are clearly resonating with.
With a best director and best picture win at the Globes, Fabelmans is firmly in the driver’s seat for the major awards at the Oscars, but will still face stiff competition against Everything Everywhere All At Once, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Banshees of Inisherin, and maybe even Top Gun: Maverick. But don’t be surprised if the Academy decides to award one of cinema’s greatest for a film about the flashpoint that made him who he is today. —William Goodman
'RRR' makes a splash
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
Historically, the Globes are a bit of a mess (more on that in a moment) but this year felt like more of an outright Oscars preview than has in the past. For the most part, the wins were pretty chalky and indicative of pre-show frontrunners. While there are still plenty of awards shows between now and the Oscars, anticipate that the majority of tonight’s movie winners—Colin Farrell, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yoeh, Banshees for screenplay, Cate Blanchett, and Speilberg—to be in hot contention for other prizes throughout the season.
While the Globes tried their best to avoid their corrupt and dubious past, a few awards in the television categories felt like the HFPA of old. While absolutely deserving, the wins for Quinta Brunson and Jeremy Allen White are reflective of the body’s penchant for giving prizes to new talent. But the most Globes-y award of the night was hands down the shock win for House of the Dragon; if the disheveled appearance of former showrunner Miguel Sapochnik wasn’t enough of an indicator, look at Milly Alcock’s stunned face as she stood on stage with Emma D’Arcy.
As of now, the Globes don’t have a telecast partner for next year. While the organization is trying to move on from its storied past, there’s still work to be done even with what seems to be a good foot forward. We’ll see if the Globes will find a home in the future and whether or not they’ve truly learned from their mistakes. —William Goodman