The 2021 Golden Globes have come and gone, and here are the most amazing and most cringeworthy moments from the awards show.
BEST: Chadwick Boseman wins for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
In perhaps the show’s best moment, Boseman’s widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, accepted the award and gave a tearful and powerful speech. “I don’t have his words, but we have to take all the moments to thank the people we love. I’m taking this moment to do exactly that,” she said.
WORST: Daniel Kaluuya’s bad internet connection.
Daniel Kaluuya won Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Film for “Judas and Black Messiah.” But when presenter Laura Dern announced him as the winner, Kaluuya was all of us during the pandemic with Zoom connectivity issues. Dern handled it amazingly, though, and sent her best wishes to congratulate the actor… before he tuned back in to make his acceptance speech.
BEST: Frontline workers in the audience.
Usually, the front tables of the Golden Globes are filled with A-list stars like Meryl Streep and Brad Pitt. But this year, the HFPA decided to honor frontline workers and first responders to the coronavirus pandemic by inviting them to watch the show live.
“We are grateful you’re here… so celebrities can stay safely at home,” co-host Tina Fey joked about the fact that nominated talent and presenters were tuning in over Zoom.
WORST: Catherine O’Hara’s husband hijacking her acceptance speech.
After O’Hara won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy for her performance in “Schitt’s Creek,” her husband — production designer and director Bo Welch — had his phone on hand for her acceptance speech. What sounded like pure garbled noise at first quickly became distinguishable as applause sound effects. Then, he jokingly attempted to play her off like awards shows usually do.
BEST: Mark Ruffalo’s impassioned speech.
Ruffalo won for Best Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series of TV Movie for his role in “I Know This Much Is True.” Not only was he able to celebrate his win with his wife and son (who cheered him on profusely), but Ruffalo took the time to use his speech as a plea for all of us to unite after a divisive time in the U.S.
He also spoke of inclusivity, saying, “The more we include each other and see each other, the faster we will heal our dying hearts and minds… let’s turn the page on the cruel past of this nation.”
WORST: Maya Rudolph and Kenan Thompson’s skit.
The two “SNL” actors took the stage to accept the (fake) award for “Least Original Song.” Maya said she had a “vodka epidural” before she arrived, and she and Keenan both rambled nonsense. They finished the skit by proclaiming that COVID-19 is a hoax and space lasers control the weather.
BEST: Olivia Colman cheering on her “Crown” co-stars.
Emma Corrin won Best Actress in a TV Drama for playing Princess Diana on Netflix’s “The Crown.” Also nominated in the same category was Olivia Colman, who played Queen Elizabeth II. When Corrin won, Coleman stood up and did a little dance to cheer her on, then stared at her co-star in awe during her acceptance speech.
Colman later did the same thing when Josh O’Connor won for his portrayal of Prince Charles on “The Crown.” Best cheerleader ever.
WORST: Celebrities talking to doctors.
In one strange skit, celebrities like Carey Mulligan, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Tina Fey talked to various doctors about feeling stuck in a time loop, GI issues and “feeling hot and bothered” by “Bridgerton.” While some of them were cute or funny, was it really necessary to relive things we’ve all experienced over the past year?
BEST: Tracy Morgan’s “Soul” flub.
When Tracy Morgan was about to announce “Soul” as the winner for Best Original Score, he accidentally called it “Sal.”
The Twitterverse thought it was hilarious, with many thanking Morgan for the laughs and making cheeky references to the show “Better Call Saul,” whose slogan is “S’all good, man!”
BEST: School kids say the darndest things.
During a segment in a classroom, a group of young kids were asked questions like, “Where does the Royal Family live?” and “Who is Lin-Manuel Miranda?” While most answers were hilarious and heartwarming (and completely wrong), all the kids knew who Chadwick Boseman was. “Chadwick Boseman is the good guy,” one of the children sweetly said.
Many viewers on Twitter said they teared up in response, given that the “Black Panther” actor died unexpectedly last year from cancer — but clearly left quite the mark on the world.
BEST: Sacha Baron Cohen’s Trump dig.
Sacha Baron Cohen won Best Actor In A Musical/Comedy Film For “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” and took the opportunity to make a dig at Trump.
“Donald Trump is contesting the result,” he said. “He’s claiming a lot of dead people voted … which is a very rude thing to say about the HFPA.”
He also, of course, made a dig at the HFPA for being “all-white.”
