The Best, Worst, and Most Memorable Moments of the 2026 Golden Globes

The 83rd annual Golden Globes have arrived, kicking off the 2026 awards season in earnest. While comedian Nikki Glaser returned after a successful first year hosting, this year the Globes are shaking things up a bit. Not only will the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announce their picks for the best in television and film, but they are adding podcasting to the mix, acknowledging the major growth of that medium. They also handed out two big awards the night before the big show in a separate ceremony. During a new annual primetime special aptly named “Golden Eve,” the HFPA honored Helen Mirren and Sarah Jessica Parker, with the Cecil B. DeMille and Carol Burnett awards, respectively.

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Despite punting Dame Helen Mirren to the night before, the Beverly Hilton hotel was still packed with stars for the main event. In addition to nominees like Michael B. Jordan (Sinners), Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), and Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), slated presenters included George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Miley Cyrus, Charli XCX, Orlando Bloom, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Queen Latifah, Regina Hall, and Zoë Kravitz. (Who, of course, referenced her Golden Globes episode in Best TV Series nominee The Studio alongside costar Dave Franco.) Even more exciting, Heated Rivalry breakouts Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams were on hand for all hockey jokes.

Another shift this year relates to awards show scheduling. Normally, the Critics’ Choice Awards come after the Globes, but this year, they doled out their awards first, giving viewers a hint of what critics (if not the HFPA themselves) are thinking. One Battle After Another won best picture, while the top acting honors went to Chalamet and Buckley. Amy Madigan was the supporting actress winner for Weapons, and Jacob Elordi took the supporting actor trophy for Frankenstein.

Will the Golden Globes go the same way? Only one way to find out! Here are the standouts, surprises, and snubs from the 2026 Golden Globes:

Most controversial editing award

Nikki Glaser returned to host the Golden Globes, which she called “without a doubt the most important thing happening in the world right now.” Glaser’s monologue shouted out the roomful of A-Listers, as in “a list that has been heavily redacted,” she quipped, before adding: “The Golden Globe for best editing goes to …the Justice Department!”

Most honest joke

Glaser teased Leonardo DiCaprio about dating much younger women, which is a frequent jest made about the dating life of the One Battle After Another star. She then apologized, saying she was sorry she made that joke, but “we don’t know anything else about you! Open up, man!” She went on to note that his most recent interview was in Teen Beat in the ’90s, when he said his favorite food was pasta. (For a much more recent one, read TIME’s Entertainer of the Year profile of DiCaprio!)

Second most honest joke

While wrapping up her monologue, Glaser asked everyone to keep doing what they were doing. “Guillermo Del Toro, keep making weird monster sex movies. James Cameron, keep making weird monster sex movies.” She continued: “Steve Martin and Martin Short, keep proving to us that in this industry, you are never ever too old to still need money.”

Biggest hint of things to come?

When Teyana Taylor took home the award for Best Female Supporting Actor for One Battle After Another, it seemed like a sign of good, big things to come for the much nominated film. Taylor’s heartfelt speech ended by speaking directly to “my brown sisters and little brown girls watching tonight, our softness is not a liability…we belong in every room we walk into.” Taylor also earned the distinction of the first bleep of the awards show. She claimed she almost didn’t write a speech because she didn’t think she would win. It’s one of the oldest lines in award shows, but it seemed authentic coming from the first-time nominee.

Most Hollywood speech (so far)

Stellan Skarsgård took the title for Best Supporting Actor for Sentimental Value and announced that he would not spend “the next six minutes thanking everyone in the credits,” but did thank his wife and children, who he quipped helped him learn what “a bad father is.” He ended his speech by preaching to the gathered choir that “cinema should be seen in cinemas.”

Best conspiracy fodder

When The White Lotus star and Blackpink icon Lalisa Manobal and Priyanka Chopra-Jones came out to announce the winner of Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Drama, Chopra-Jones gave a shout-out to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then Noah Wyle, the star of The Pitt, which is set in Pittsburgh, won the award. Take it from here, Reddit!

Third most honest joke

When Jean Smart came to collect her third award for her work on Hacks she simply said, “What can I say? I’m a greedy bitch.” In her short speech, Smart said that she already went on “a rant” on the red carpet and didn’t need to repeat herself. Anyone who didn’t watch the pre-awards show coverage had to Google it. While it’s worth the effort, the short version is that Smart shared her concerns about the direction in which the United States is headed.

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