Last night’s Golden Globe Awards promised activism, hypocrisy, and no acknowledged female directors, and boy did it deliver.
But if you missed the 3am wake-time (and aren’t keen to watch this evening when the web has thoroughly spoiled you), here’s which moments made the biggest waves.
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#TimesUp and the black clothing
Celebs rocked up to the Globes in all black to show support for women around the world who had been sexually harassed, assaulted, or abused in the workplace.
In response to the #MeToo movement, actresses joined forces to form the TIME’S UP legal defense fund, which raises money for women who can’t afford to fight their abusers.
Many took the time to openly talk about the long-taboo topic — including Natalie Portman, who threw in some shade while presenting the award for Best Director.
Look at Ron Howard laughing like he doesn’t know the HFPA is gonna nominate him for Han Solo pic.twitter.com/AWxvtKNQrP
— Ira Madison III (@ira) January 8, 2018
DEBRA MESSING BRING THE MESS!!!! CALLING OUT A NETWORK ON THE VERY NETWORK ITSELF pic.twitter.com/7pePJMaOXj
— Ziwe (@ziwe) January 7, 2018
Host Seth Meyer’s monologue also tackled the topic head-on.
Oprah Winfrey, honoured with the Cecil B deMille award that celebrates “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment”, roused the crowd with an inspiring speech about inequality and the power Hollywood now holds to shift it.
As the first black woman to be awarded the Cecil B deMille, she also discussed the power of representation.
“I want all of the girls watching here now to know, that a new day is on the horizon.” @Oprah accepts the 2018 Cecil B. de Mille award. #GoldenGlobespic.twitter.com/hbquC1GBjm
— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 8, 2018
The hypocrisy
Of course, with this movement came the obvious hypocrisy of the awards themselves, as well as actors who embraced the movement yet continued to work with accused abusers.
Gary Oldman, who won best actor for his role as Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hour, was accused of beating his wife in 2001. James Franco, who was caught pursuing an underage fan on Instagram, won best actor for The Disaster Artist.
Cute #TIMESUP pin James Franco. Remember the time you pushed my head down in a car towards your exposed penis & that other time you told my friend to come to your hotel when she was 17? After you had already been caught doing that to a different 17 year old?
— Violet Paley (@VioletPaley) January 8, 2018
Kirk Douglas, accused of raping actress Natalie Wood when she was a teenager, received a standing ovation when he presented an award.
And then there were the likes of Justin Timberlake, who tweeted support for the Time’s Up movement despite starring in accused pedophile Woody Allen’s most recent film, Wonder Wheel. He has, as yet, spoken only positively of the allegedly abusive director.
The winners
The Golden Globes isn’t all activism, though. Sometimes awards are handed out.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was the big winner of the night, taking home four wins, including Best Motion Picture for Drama. Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water had received the most nominations.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri won big at Sunday Night’s Golden Globes
Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird won Best Motion Picture for a Musical or Comedy.
Over in TV, HBO’s Big Little Lies won the four awards, including Best Television Limited Series. The Handmaid’s Tale won Best Television Series (Drama), and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel won for Best Television Series (Comedy or Musical).
Many believed Jordan Peele’s Get Out — which won nothing — was snubbed, as well as queer coming-of-age drama Call Me By Your Name, also taking home no awards.
Others were still angry that Girl’s Trip, which excelled at the box office, didn’t even receive a nod.
The @goldenglobes have proven, again, that #OscarsSoWhite is still incredibly relevant. Let me give you a specific example: @girlstripmovie. It was completely shut out of the noms & awards. #GoldenGlobes
— April (@ReignOfApril) January 8, 2018
You can catch the full list of winners here.
The Golden Globes will re-air on M-Net Monday night at 9.10pm.
