The Golden Globes has long been an awards show that highlights the absolute best that Hollywood has to offer. So naturally it was canceled last year after a lot of controversy and scandal involving lack of diversity.
Now it’s back, and the actors in attendance did not hold back on delivering moving speeches, incredible red carpet looks, and, of course, hard-hitting jokes.
If you weren’t able to watch Tuesday night’s broadcast, have no fear. Here are eight stand-out moments from the show that you should know about.
1. Host Jerrod Carmichael had a truthful sit-down with the audience for his opening monologue.
First, let me fill you in on why exactly the Golden Globes weren’t broadcast last year. NBC usually hosts the show, but the network refused to do so after the industry-wide criticism over the fact that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the committee that creates the show, had not a single Black person on it. In the year 2021.
So naturally, there’s gonna be jokes about this, and man, did comedian Jerrod Carmichael come prepared.
He opened the show by addressing the elephant in the room.
“I'll tell you why I'm here,” Jerrod told the audience. “I'm here because I'm Black.”
He want on to explain how he got the gig of hosting the show, joking, “One minute you're making mint tea at home, the next you're invited to be the Black face of the embattled White organization. Life really comes extra fast, you know?”
2. THE Rihanna was in attendance!
If you’re a fan of Rihanna, and of course you are, you know that any sighting of her nowadays is a rare blessing.
The new mom was nominated for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture, though that did not necessarily mean she’d be in attendance. The singer did not make an appearance on the red carpet but quietly snuck in to the ceremony with partner A$AP Rocky.
3. Basically everyone was really excited about Rihanna, and Niecy Nash confirmed that.
Before announcing the winner for Best Television Actress in a Musical or Comedy, Niecy Nash took a moment to fangirl on the behalf of us all.
"Rihanna, I love you and I dressed up as you for Halloween," she said from the stage. "I just had to say that. Had to take my moment."
Later on in the show, Billy Porter also joined in on the fun, saying that if he believed in Halloween, he would have dressed as Rihanna, too.
4. Michelle Yeoh won her first Golden Globe after 40 years in the industry.
One of the most memorable speeches of the night came from Michelle Yeoh, who won best actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Michelle began, "I’m just going to stand here and take this all in. Forty years, not letting go of this."
The actress spoke about her career and experiences in Hollywood, and reflected on aging in the industry.
"As time went by — I turned 60 last year. And I think all of you women understand this as the days, the years, and the numbers get bigger, it seems like opportunities start to get smaller as well … Then along came the best gift, Everything Everywhere All at Once."
Later in her speech, when the music started to play her off the stage, she said to the piano player, "Shut up, please. I can beat you up."
5. The cute little donkey from 'The Banshees of Inisherin' got a few shout-outs from the stage.
Colin Farrell won Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his role in the gloomy-but-funny Irish comedy The Banshees of Inisherin.
"I never expect films to work or to find an audience and when they do, it's shocking to me," he said as he accepted the award. "I'm horrified by what's happened around Banshees over the last couple of months, in a thrilling kind of way."
He made sure to give a shout-out to his costar, Jenny the donkey. "Lastly, Jenny the donkey who is having an early retirement," he joked, because of the film industry.
Jenny got another mention when Martin McDonagh won for best screenplay for the film.
"I was hoping Jenny might have been nominated tonight," Martin said. "But she’s a female donkey and it’s the Globes, so … "
6. Jennifer Coolidge won best supporting actress for 'White Lotus,' as she deserved.
Jennifer Coolidge thanked everyone who supported her through her Hollywood career and kept her "going."
"I just want to say, some of the people in this room, there were like five people that kept me going for, you know, 20 years with these little jobs," she said.
"I didn’t know anybody, and it just was sort of this thing that wasn’t going anywhere. Then there were these people who would give me these cute little jobs and it would just be enough to get to the next one," she repeated, mentioning people like producer Ryan Murphy and actress Reese Witherspoon.
This is Jennifer's first Golden Globe, and we hope to see her win more of them.
7. Eddie Murphy accepted a career achievement award and his speech ... slapped.
In a really nice moment of appreciation for the comedian’s career, Tracy Morgan introduced a look-back at Eddie Murphy’s achievements in film before Jamie Lee Curtis helped him present Eddie with the Cecil B. DeMille Award.
Eddie thanked all of the people who have supported him throughout his career, and then gave advice for how to be successful in Hollywood: "It's very simple, just do these three things: Pay your taxes, mind your business — and keep Will Smith's wife's name out your [expletive] mouth!"
8. Amanda Seyfried couldn't make it because she's apparently working on a new musical? More info, please!
Amanda Seyfried was not among those in attendance on Tuesday, despite being nominated for — and winning — Best Actress in a Limited Series for her role as Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout.
Instead, it was announced that Amanda is “deep in the process of creating a new musical this week.” They didn’t say much else about it, unfortunately, but Mamma Mia, do we have ideas.
