Somewhere along the way, the Golden Globes became as entertaining as any movie or TV show. The awards show features unexpected heroes, bizarre villains, and the kinds of monologues you normally don’t find outside of a movie.
The Golden Globe Awards are no longer contained to a single broadcast. Instead, the antics of celebrities end up going viral and becoming a part of the internet’s collective memory.
So, which moments from the 2020 Golden Globes are going viral? Keep reading, but watch your step — we’re spilling a lot of tea here.
Ricky Gervais calls out Hollywood
Once again, Ricky Gervais was the host for the ceremony. This marked his fifth outing as Golden Globes host, though he hadn’t taken the job since 2016. As an actor, his brand is a unique mixture of comedy and off-putting politics. As a host, he put these qualities together and didn’t pull any punches.
In some cases, he called out individuals. For instance, he mentioned that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was so long that Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriend was too old for him by the time it was over. Leo, of course, is famous for dating younger women.
At other times, Gervais railed at all of Hollywood. The room groaned when Gervais made a joke that Jeffrey Epstein didn’t kill himself. Without missing a beat, the comedian claimed, “I know he’s your friend, but I don’t care.”
Just when you thought Gervais was done, he ended the opening monologue with a scathing mic drop. “You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything,” Gervais told the crowd. “You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg.”
Mark Zuckerberg: named and shamed
You probably don’t associate the Golden Globes with Facebook mogul Mark Zuckerberg. However, Zuckerberg got an epic roast this year courtesy of Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen.
Cohen was supposed to introduce Taika Waititi’s nominated movie Jojo Rabbit, which features a boy with Adolf Hitler as his imaginary friend. Cohen began, “The hero of this next movie is a naive, misguided child who spreads Nazi propaganda and only has imaginary friends. His name is Mark Zuckerberg.”
When the crowd reacted, Cohen pretended to demur. “Sorry, sorry. This is an old intro for The Social Network.”
It doesn’t look like Zuckerberg and Cohen will be Facebook friends anytime soon.
Subtitles for the win
The movie Parasite is having a big year. It made the list as one of Barack Obama’s favorite movies of the year, and it has now won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film.
During his acceptance speech, director Bong Joon-Ho had a simple message for audiences. “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barriers of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films,” he said through a translator to a rousing applause.
And he’s not wrong. Once you learn to love subtitles, you discover (quite literally) an entirely new world of movies!
Quentin Tarantino: full of himself
Quentin Tarantino is typically a controversial figure. Of course, that controversy is usually limited to the content of his films, which often include ultra-violence and are sometimes accused of racism. This year, though, Tarantino managed to generate controversy through an acceptance speech.
When his film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay, Tarantino went up to accept his award. During his speech, Tarantino cheekily pointed out that with a writing award, there isn’t usually anyone to thank. “I did it,” he declared with emphasis.
The audience reacted with audible shock at the arrogant statement. Whether he planned it ahead of time or was simply winging it, Tarantino pivoted into thanking the fantastic cast that he had for the movie.
Only after making it all about himself, though!
Tom Hanks: from dreams to memes
Tom Hanks had a couple of key moments during the awards. The most heartwarming moment came when he accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Achievement in Film. During the speech, Hanks reminded all of his fellow actors to show up on time and ready to work so they could make the lives of everyone else on set that much easier.
While that was sweet, the best Hanks moments came from his facial reactions. During the awkward Gervais monologue, Hanks became an instant meme with a face that proved he’d rather have been literally anywhere else!
Phoebe Waller-Bridge gets a little too personal
Some of the most humorous moments from the awards were a bit meta. A perfect example is when Phoebe Waller-Bridge accepted the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series for Fleabag.
Fleabag, a show which has landed her multiple awards as its star, creator, and writer, also landed on Barack Obama’s list of favorite TV shows for the year. During her speech, Waller-Bridge thanked Obama for the inclusion and said, “He’s been on my list for a while.”
The reference sent her fans howling with laughter. Why? Because in one infamous scene from her show, her character actually pleasures herself while watching videos of Obama’s speeches!
Kate McKinnon presents the Carol Burnett Award to Ellen
During the evenng, Ellen DeGeneres received the Carol Burnett Award for Achievement in Television. Before that, though, she got one hell of an introduction and tribute from fellow comedian Kate McKinnon.
McKinnon specifically praised Ellen’s decision to come out as gay, despite the risk to her career. According to McKinnon, this move inspired many actors (including herself) to come out of the closet and not feel they had to hide part of their lives to be successful.
It was a genuinely moving moment and a reminder that actors and entertainment can genuinely make the world a better place.
Pregnant Michelle Williams calls for abortion rights
At the beginning of the show, Gervais sneered that anyone who won should simply “come up, accept your little award, thank your agent and your God” and leave without making a political statement. But Michelle Williams created a viral moment when she ignored this advice altogether!
When she won Best Actress in a limited series or TV movie for the FX drama Fosse/Verdon, Williams used her airtime to take a stand for abortion rights. Making her speech all the more memorable, she did so while sporting a visible baby bump. The actress revealed recently that she is pregnant and engaged to Hamilton director Thomas Kail.
“I’ve tried my very best to live a life of my own making and not just a series of events that happened to me…” Williams said in her speech. “And I wouldn’t have been able to do this without employing a woman’s right to choose.”
Like many of the night’s winners, Williams implored people to vote this year. But none had a biting comment for the patriarchy quite like Michelle Williams: “Women 18 to 118, when it is time to vote please do so in your self-interest. It’s what men have been doing for years, which is why the world looks so much like them.”