8 of the Most Controversial Moments From the Golden Globes Through the Years

The 79th annual Golden Globes will take place on Sunday, but no one can watch them. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association will still host a ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel to announce this year’s winners. The HFPA, whose Golden Globes were once dubbed “Hollywood’s Biggest Party,” has no broadcast partner this year. NBC’s decision to drop the show in protest the lack of diversity among the HFPA membership inspired the group to make some changes, but it could not find a new broadcast partner in time for the 2022 ceremony.

Last year’s Golden Globes was a unique. bi-coastal event, with ceremonies at the Rainbow Room in Manhattan for East Coast celebrities and at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills for West Coast stars. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted together for the fourth time, but from different venues. Usually, the ceremony takes place in early January to help kick off the awards season, but it was shifted to Feb. 28. Jane Fonda was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for her film career, while Norman Lear received the recently-established Carol Burnett Award to honor television legends. There are no honorary awards this year.

With almost eight decades of history behind it, the Golden Globes have provided plenty of memorable moments and countless controversies. The Globes are famous for being unpredictable both before and during the show, with bizarre nominations and strange winners. Here’s a look at a handful of the eyebrow-raising and head-scratching moments the HFPA has given us since 1944.

Technical glitches throughout the 2021 ceremony

Anyone who watched awards shows throughout 2021 sat through plenty of technical glitches. The 2021 Golden Globes had its fair share, including one right at the beginning. When Judas and the Black Messiah star Daniel Kaluuya was announced as the winner for Best Supporting Actor in a movie, the audience heard nothing. Eventually, the glitch was fixed and Kaluuya was able to give his acceptance speech.

Ricky Gervais’ 2011 Monologue

Ricky Gervais remains the most controversial pick for Golden Globes host thanks partly to a blistering monologue at the 2011 ceremony. He pretty much insulted everyone during the opening and the rest of the show. Some of the A-listers in the crowd were not happy. Incredibly, Gervais was welcomed back to host again in 2012. Gervais hosted again in 2016 and 2020.

Pia Zadora wins New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture in 1982

The HFPA used to present awards for promising young stars in Hollywood but ended the practice in the early 1980s. The category for New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture – Female was the center of the most controversial award in Golden Globes history. In 1982, the award went to Pia Zadora for the critically panned movie Butterfly, even though Elizabeth McGovern and Kathleen Turner were nominated for their acclaimed turns in Ragtime and Body Heat. It was later discovered that Zadora’s husband, millionaire Meshulam Riklis, flew voting members to his Las Vegas casino. Since then, the HFPA has been heavily scrutinized for members possibly receiving bribes from studios and producers. It was just reported last year that Emily in Paris producers flew members to Paris during production, possibly leading to the show’s surprising Best Comedy or Musical series nomination.

Natalie Portman calls out the Globes for lack of female director nominees in 2018

In 2019, Natalie Portman was called to present the Best Director – Motion Picture award. When she introduced the nominees, she said, “And here are the all-male nominees,” while co-presenter Ron Howard looked on awkwardly. This year, the HFPA ‘s Best Director field includes three women – Chloe Zhao (Nomadland), Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman), and Regina King (One Night in Miami).

Claire Danes finally gets to thank her parents in 2012

In a very cool moment during the 2012 ceremony, Homeland star Clare Danes got a chance to thank her parents, 17 years after she forgot them when she won for My So-Called Life. “I’m just so lucky to have another opportunity to let them know how deeply grateful I am for their love and encouragement, and any fulfillment I have as a person and actor I owe in large part to [them],” Danes said at the time.

Sandra Oh praises ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ and Emma Stone apologizes for ‘Aloha’ in 2019

The 2019 ceremony was hosted by Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh, who provided a more positive vibe during most of the show. There was one very funny moment though when Oh joked that Crazy Rich Asians was the first studio film with an Asian-American lead since Ghost in the Shell and Aloha, two movies criticized for featuring Asian characters played by non-Asian stars. Emma Stone, who starred in Aloha, was heard yelling, “I’m sorry” during the broadcast. Later in the same ceremony, Oh made history as the first Asian star to win multiple Golden Globes. She has awards for Grey’s Anatomy and Killing Eve.

Ving Rhames gives his Golden Globe to Jack Lemmon in 1998

In 1998, Ving Rhames delivered a moving speech after he received the award for Best Actor in a TV miniseries for Don King: Only in America. With tears streaming down his face, Rhames gave a tribute to the art of acting. In the middle of the speech, he stopped to ask if Jack Lemmon was in the audience. Lemmon was nominated for Showtime’s production of 12 Angry Men that year. Lemmon was there, and Rhames gave him the award. “I feel that being an artist is about giving, and I’d like to give this to you,” Rhames said. Lemmon tried to give Rhames the award back, but Rhames refused.