In 1980, actress Bette Midler tickled the audience with a “Golden Globes” pun while accepting the award for “The Rose.”
Cher was at a literal loss for words while accepting a Golden Globe for her role in “Silkwood” in 1984.
“Just look at my dress until I can think of something,” the actress said.
When Christine Lahti won for Best Actress in a Drama Series in 1998, the “Chicago Hope” star was late to accept her award because she was in the ladies’ room, forcing Robin Williams to vamp on stage.
Ving Rhames won Best Actor in a TV Miniseries for his role in HBO’s “Don King: Only in America” in 1998, but when it came time to accept the award on stage, the actor decided it to pass it on to fellow nominee Jack Lemmon instead.
Renee Zellweger also made an ill-timed bathroom break at the Golden Globes, nearly missing her opportunity to collect her award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy in 2001.
Appearing slightly inebriated, Elizabeth Taylor almost made the mistake of naming 2001’s Best Drama winner before the nominees had even been announced.
Jack Nicholson gave a Valium-feuled acceptance speech for “About Schmidt” in 2003, admitting he thought the movie had been nominated in the wrong category.
Rather than giving a traditional acceptance speech, “Borat” star Sacha Baron Cohen launched into a long, slightly inappropriate anecdote while collecting his Golden Globe in 2007.
“I saw some dark parts of America, an ugly side of America, a side of America that rarely sees the light of day,” he said. “I refer, of course, to the anus and testicles of my co-star Ken Davitian.”
While most actors choose to thank family, friends and co-stars on stage, Mickey Rourke instead thanked Hollywood for giving him a second chance when he won in 2009 for “The Wrestler.”
Ricky Gervais’ second hosting gig in 2011 the host managed to offend Charlie Sheen, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Cher, the entire cast of “Sex and the City” and many more in just under 5 minutes.
While accepting her Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement achievement award in 2013, the famously private Jodie Foster cryptically came out of the closet while simultaneously rejecting the idea that it was anybody’s business.
In 2014, while presenting the award for Best Screenplay, Emma Thompson walked on stage with her shoes in one hand and a martini in another. When her hands proved too full to open the envelop, the veteran actress chucked her shoes to the side and handed her drink to the attendant.
While hosting the show in 2015, comedy duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler didn’t shy away from sensitive material, ripping into Bill Cosby over the multiple sexual assault allegations against him.
The history of women and people of color going unrecognized at Hollywood awards shows has come under increased scrutiny in recent years, most memorably in 2017 when Natalie Portman took the stage to present best director with the instantly iconic line, “And here are the all-male nominees.”
Hosts Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg opted for compliments over zingers in their 2019 monologue, but the duo’s stint as co-hosts will best be remembered for Oh’s heartfelt speech about progress and representation.
