Tina Fey and Amy Poehler ripped the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for having no black members during their Golden Globes monologue to crowds mostly filled with first responders on Sunday.
Fey, 50, broadcast from the Rainbow Room at 30 Rock in New York City – where ‘indoor dining and outdoor muggings are back.’ Poehler, 49, joined her from the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles while celebrities called in to the awards show from video remote streams in front of masked frontline workers. The only celebrities present were the ones who handed out awards.
‘Normally, this room is full of celebrities but tonight our audience, on both coasts, is made up of smoking hot first responders and essential workers,’ Fey told the crowd, who were seated at socially distanced stations. ‘We are so grateful for the work that you do and that you’re here so the celebrities can stay safely at home.’
The comedians took aim at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association who has been under fire this week for the lack of black journalists amid the 87 members.
‘The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is made up of around 90 international – no black – journalists who attend movie junkets each year in search of a better life,’ Fey said, adding that ‘a number of black actors and black-led projects were overlooked.’
‘We all know award shows are stupid… the point is, even with stupid things, inclusivity is important and there are no black members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. I realize, HFPA you many not have gotten the memo because your workplace is the back booth of a French McDonald’s, but you got to change that.’
Poehler chimed in adding she is ‘looking forward to that change.’
The latest: Tina Fey, 50, and Amy Poehler, 49, were fearless in delivering the Golden Globes monologue Sunday with jabs at the HFPA’s diversity problem, James Corden and Kate Hudson among other remarks
The Golden Globes were held remotely with only a small crowd of socially distanced first responders in attendance on both coasts
The HFPA came under scrutiny this week after the Los Angeles Times discovered that the group has no black members and Hollywood celebrities and industry guilds have since voiced criticism. ‘A cosmetic fix isn’t enough. When whole cultures are shut out of the conversation, their art and their voices are shut out as well,’ the Directors Guild, which has 18,000 members, wrote on Facebook.
In a subsequent segment on the show, HFPA officials acknowledged the issues and pledged to focus their efforts on improving things moving forward.
‘We’ll look feared to a more inclusive future,’ HFPA President Ali Sar said. ‘That means creating an environment where diverse membership is the norm, not the exception.’
Ex-HFPA President Meher Tatna said, ‘We must ensure everyone from all underrepresented communities get a seat at our table -and we are going to make that happen.’
The returning co-hosts also packed their speech with jokes addressing the pandemic and ‘all the fantastic TV shows you binged this year: the American Office, old Columbos and very one-sided news programs.’
In part of the monologue, Fey and Poehler tried to explain the difference between movies and TV shows, taking a jab at the pandemic and the quality of entertainment content released since movie theaters were closed.
Sean Penn, pictured, was one of the celebrities who presented in person from Beverly Hills during the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards
Award honorees like Carol Burnett Award winner Norman Lear, center, tuned into the event remotely via online video feeds to accept their awards
Chloé Zhao appears via video at the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton and broadcast on Sunday
Sacha Baron Cohen, left, slammed Rudy Giuliani and former President Donald Trump in his acceptance speeches during the Golden Globes
‘If it stars Matthew McConaughey as a poetic drifter, it’s a car commercial,’ Poehler said, joking about the star’s Lincoln commercials.
Fey added: ‘In movies its called human trafficking but on TV its called 90 Day Fiance.’
The comedy duo then went on to explain some of the movies and shows nominated for awards, targeting James Corden for his appearance in the musical The Prom.
Corden’s performance had been slammed as homophobic after the actor, who is straight, played a gay character in the Netflix film, which got a low 55 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
‘The Queen’s Gambit is whatever James Corden was up to in The Prom,’ Fey joked.
‘The Prom came out at the perfect time because this year so many teenagers didn’t get to go to their prom this year so they could James Corden and Meryl Streep go to it instead.’
Salma Hayek, left and Margot Robbie, were some of the few celebrities who attended the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton on Sunday, before handing out awards
Fey’s 30 Rock co-star Tracy Morgan, pictured, attends the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Rainbow Room
Because of coronavirus protocols, only first responders and some celebrities presenting awards were seated in the crowd
Frontline and essential workers attend as guests during the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Rainbow Room in New York City
Fey then again targeted the the HFPA while explaining the Pixar movie Soul.
‘Soul is a beautiful Pixar animated movie where a middle age black man’s soul accidentally gets knocked out of his body and into a cat. The HFPA really responded to this movie because they do have two cat members,’ Fey said.
They also joked, ‘Sia’s Music is nominated for best international flop-eroonie … and I don’t want to get into guys, but it’s real problematic, and Twitter is saying that it’s the worst casting since Kate Hudson became a Weight Watchers spokesperson.’
The two hosts slammed Music, which is nominated for best motion picture, after Sia apologized for a scene in which a character with autism played by Maddie Ziegler is restrained in a dangerous manner.
Fey brought up the controversy that unfurled amid the recent revelation there were no black journalists amid the 87 members in the HFPA
Repeat: Poehler and Fey returned to host for the fourth time; the comedy duo did the honors in 2013, 2014 and 2015
Later in the awards show, Sacha Baron Cohen accepted the Golden Globe award for Best Comedy or Musical film for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
‘Thank you to the all white Hollywood Foreign Press,’ Baron Cohen said at the start of his acceptance speech.
‘I’ve got to say, this movie could not have been possible without my co-star, a fresh new talent who came from nowhere and turned out to be a comedy genius. I’m talking about Rudy Giuliani. I mean, who can get more laughs out of one unzipping? Incredible.’
He continued by addressing other scandals faced by the Trump lawyer.
‘Our movie was just the beginning for him. Rudy went on to star in a string of comedy films. Hits like Four Seasons Landscaping, Hair Dye Another Day, and the courtroom drama A Very Public Fart.’
Baron Cohen later made a quip at Trump contesting the results of the 2020 election when he won Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical.
‘Hold on, Donald Trump is contesting the result. He’s claiming a lot of dead people voted, which is a very rude thing to say about the HFPA,’ he joked.
Jokes: Fey said of the late night host, ‘The Queen’s Gambit is … whatever James Corden was up to in The Prom I guess’
The joke was a reference to controversy of James Corden playing a gay character in the Netflix film despite not being gay
Yikes! Kate Hudson’s efforts in Sia’s Music fell under scrutiny from the duo as appears virtually on Twitter’s livestream of the event
This year’s ceremony, which usually takes place in early January, was pushed back to February 28 as Hollywood continues to adjust to the coronavirus pandemic and new safety guidelines.
Poehler and Fey returned to host for the fourth time. The comedy duo did the honors in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
It is the first ever awards show to be broadcast from two separate coasts.
Netflix smash-hit Emily in Paris found itself as one of the more controversially nominated shows, landing a nomination for best TV series, musical or comedy. The show’s star, Lily Collins, also got a nod for best actress.
Much of the uproar surrounding the nomination stems from the snubbing of Michaela Coel, whose HBO drama I May Destroy You failed to land any nominations.
Deborah Copaken, one of the writers of Emily in Paris, even spoke out to criticize the Hollywood Foreign Press for shunning Coel.
Copaken tweeted that it was ‘just wrong’, and later expanded on her thoughts in an op-ed for the Guardian.
Coast-to-coast: Fey, 50, was broadcasting from New York City’s Rainbow Room, while Poehler, 49, was at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles
‘Am I excited that Emily in Paris was nominated? Yes. Of course. I’ve never been remotely close to seeing a Golden Globe statue up close, let alone being nominated for one,’ she wrote.
‘But that excitement is now unfortunately tempered by my rage over Coel’s snub. That I May Destroy You did not get one Golden Globe nod is not only wrong, it’s what is wrong with everything.
‘We need art that reflects all of our colors, not just some. But we also need to give awards to shows (and music and films and plays and musicals) that deserve them, no matter the color of the skin of their creators,’ she went on to write.
Last year’s 77th Golden Globes, hosted by Ricky Gervais, averaged 19.2 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched network telecasts of 2020.
GOLDEN GLOBES 2021: THE WINNERS
MOVIES
Best Motion Picture, Drama
The Father
Mank
Nomadland – WINNER
Promising Young Woman
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – WINNER
Hamilton
Music
Palm Springs
The Prom
Sweeping the board: Mank is the most nominated film with six nods
Best Director
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
David Fincher – Mank
Regina King – One Night in Miami
Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland – WINNER
Best Screenplay
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Jack Fincher – Mank
Christopher Hampton, Florian Zeller – The Father
Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7 – WINNER
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
Best Foreign Language Picture
Another Round
La Llorona
The Life Ahead
Minari – WINNER
Two of Us
Best Animated Picture
The Croods: A New Age
Onward
Over the Moon
Soul – WINNER
Wolfwalkers
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Andra Day – The United States vs Billie Holiday – WINNER
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – WINNER
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Gary Oldman – Mank
Tahar Rahim – The Mauritanian
Captivating: Vanessa Kirby is nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama for Pieces of a Woman
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Kate Hudson – Music
Michelle Pfeiffer – French Exit
Rosamund Pike – I Care a Lot – WINNER
Anya Taylor-Joy – Emma
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Sacha Baron Cohen – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – WINNER
James Corden – The Prom
Lin-Manuel Miranda – Hamilton
Dev Patel – The Personal History of David Copperfield
Andy Samberg – Palm Springs
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Glenn Close – Hilbilly Elegy
Jodie Foster – The Mauritanian – WINNER
Olivia Colman – The Father
Amanda Seyfried – Mank
Helena Zengel – News of the World
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah – WINNER
Jared Leto – The Little Things
Bill Murray – On the Rocks
Leslie Odom Jr – One Night in Miami
Best Original Score in a Motion Picture
The Midnight Sky
Tenet
News of the World
Mank
Soul – WINNER
Best Original Song in a Motion Picture
Judas and the Black Messiah
The Life Ahead – WINNER
One Night in Miami
The Trial of the Chicago 7
The United States vs Billie Holiday
TELEVISION
Best Television Series, Drama
The Crown – WINNER
Lovecraft Country
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Ratched
One to watch: Lovecraft Country is up for Best Television Series, Drama
Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical
Emily in Paris
The Flight Attendant
The Great
Schitt’s Creek – WINNER
Ted Lasso
Best Limited Series, Anthology or TV Movie
Normal People
The Queen’s Gambit – WINNER
Small Axe
The Undoing
Unorthodox
Racy: Normal People is up for Best Limited Series, Anthology or TV Movie
Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Drama
Olivia Colman – The Crown
Jodie Comer – Killing Eve
Emma Corrin – The Crown – WINNER
Laura Linney – Ozark
Sarah Paulson – Ratched
Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series, Drama
Jason Bateman – Ozark
Josh O’Connor – The Crown – WINNER
Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul
Al Pacino – Hunters
Matthew Rhys– Perry Mason
Spooky: Sarah Paulson is up for Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Drama for Ratched
Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical
Lily Collins – Emily in Paris
Kaley Cuoco – The Flight Attendant
Elle Fanning – The Great
Jane Levy – Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
Catherine O’Hara – Schitt’s Creek – WINNER
Best Performance by an Actor in a TV series, Comedy or Musical
Don Cheadle – Black Monday
Nicholas Hoult – The Great
Eugene Levy – Schitt’s Creek
Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso – WINNER
Ramy Youssef – Ramy
Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology or TV Movie
Cate Blanchett – Mrs America
Daisy Edgar-Jones – Normal People
Shira Haas – Unorthodox
Nicole Kidman – The Undoing
Anya Taylor-Joy – The Queen’s Gambit – WINNER
Royally good: Elle Fanning is up for Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical for The Great
Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology or TV Movie
Bryan Cranston – Your Honour
Jeff Daniels – The Comey Rule
Hugh Grant – The Undoing
Ethan Hawke – The Good Lord Bird
Mark Ruffalo – I Know This Much Is True – WINNER
Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series
Gillian Anderson – The Crown – WINNER
Helena Bonham Carter – The Crown
Julia Garner – Ozark
Annie Murphy – Schitt’s Creek
Cynthia Nixon – Ratched
Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series
John Boyega – Small Axe, “Red, White and Blue” – WINNER
Daniel Levy – Schitt’s Creek
Brendan Gleeson – The Comey Rule
Jim Parsons – Hollywood
Donald Sutherland – The Undoing
One to watch: Donald Sutherland is up for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series for The Undoing
Sacha Baron Cohen sarcastically thanks the ‘all-white Hollywood Foreign Press’ before ruthlessly poking fun at Rudy Giuliani AND Donald Trump during Golden Globes acceptance speeches
Sacha Baron Cohen’s politically-charged sequel Borat Subsequent Moviefilm earned two awards on Sunday night during the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
And the comedian, 49, came out swinging as he sarcastically thanked the ‘all-white’ Hollywood Foreign Press Association during his initial acceptance speech, before ripping into his nemesis – and unsuspecting costar – Rudy Giuliani.
Later on in the show, Cohen joked that former president Donald Trump was ‘contesting’ his ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical’ win.
Winner! Sacha Baron Cohen’s politically-charged sequel Borat Subsequent Moviefilm earned two awards on Sunday night during the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards
Taking digs: And the comedian, 49, came out swinging as he sarcastically thanked the ‘all-white’ Hollywood Foreign Press Association during his initial acceptance speech, before ripping into his nemesis – and unsuspecting costar – Rudy Giuliani
‘Hold on, Donald Trump is contesting the result,’ began Cohen as he pretended to hold a phone to his ear.
He was joined on screen by his wife of over 10 years, Isla Fisher, who could hardly contain her laughter.
‘He’s claiming that a lot of dead people voted, which is a very rude thing to say about the HFPA,’ Sacha quipped.
Besides his Best Actor in a Comedy nod, Cohen’s highly anticipated Borat sequel also walked away with the Golden Globe for Best Comedy or Musical.
‘Thank you to the all-white Hollywood Foreign Press,’ began the English comedian, who was referencing to the recent uproar around the absence of black journalist in the HFPA.
This year’s Golden Globes ceremony, which usually takes place in early January, was pushed back to February 28 as Hollywood continues to adjust to the coronavirus pandemic and new safety guidelines.
Amy Poehler and Tina Fey return to host for the fourth time. The comedy duo did the honors in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
It is the first ever awards show to be broadcast from two separate coasts.
Fey, 50, is broadcasting from atop New York City’s Rockefeller Center in the Rainbow Room and Poehler, 49, in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where the ceremony is usually held annually.
Nominees will be tuning into the ceremony remotely but presenters have been asked to appear in person.
The impressive list of presenters this year includes; Awkwafina, Cynthia Erivo, Annie Mumolo, Joaquin Phoenix, Kristen Wiig and Renee Zellweger, Kevin Bacon, Sterling K. Brown, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Margot Robbie, Tiffany Haddish, Anthony Anderson, Kate Hudson and Kenan Thompson.
Satchel and Jackson Lee, children of three-time Golden Globe nominated filmmaker Spike Lee and producer/philanthropist Tonya Lewis Lee, are serving as the 2021 Golden Globe Ambassadors.
Guess who’s back? Besides his Best Actor in a Comedy nod, Cohen’s highly anticipated Borat sequel also walked away with the Golden Globe for Best Comedy or Musical
Thankful: ‘Thank you to the all-white Hollywood Foreign Press,’ began the English comedian, who was referencing to the recent uproar around the absence of black journalist in the HFPA
Jane Fonda, 83, is receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award, an accolade for film. The acting icon has previously won Golden Globes for her roles in Klute, Julia and Coming Home.
Norman Lear will be honored with the Carol Burnett Award, a counterpart to the DeMille Award that focuses on life achievement in television. The writer, director and producer is a six-time Golden Globe winner.
Nominations were announced on February 3 with streaming giant Netflix receiving 42 nominations across film and television.
David Fincher’s Mank lead with six nominations across film, while The Crown also topped the TV categories with the same number of nominations.
Netflix smash-hit Emily in Paris found itself as one of the more controversially nominated shows, landing a nomination for best TV series, musical or comedy. The show’s star, Lily Collins, also got a nod for best actress.
Much of the uproar surrounding the nomination stems from the snubbing of Michaela Coel, whose HBO drama I May Destroy You failed to land any nominations.
Deborah Copaken, one of the writers of Emily in Paris, even spoke out to criticize the Hollywood Foreign Press for shunning Coel.
Copaken tweeted that it was ‘just wrong’, and later expanded on her thoughts in an op-ed for the Guardian.
‘Am I excited that Emily in Paris was nominated? Yes. Of course. I’ve never been remotely close to seeing a Golden Globe statue up close, let alone being nominated for one,’ she wrote.
‘But that excitement is now unfortunately tempered by my rage over Coel’s snub. That I May Destroy You did not get one Golden Globe nod is not only wrong, it’s what is wrong with everything.
‘We need art that reflects all of our colors, not just some. But we also need to give awards to shows (and music and films and plays and musicals) that deserve them, no matter the color of the skin of their creators,’ she went on to write.
Last year’s 77th Golden Globes, hosted by Ricky Gervais, averaged 19.2 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched network telecasts of 2020.