Golden Globes 2021: From Brits dominating to lack of diversity, what happened at the 2021 ceremony

The evening began with biting jokes and ended with a triumph for ‘Nomadland’

Chadwick Boseman's wife gives emotional acceptance speech on behalf of late husband

The 2021 Golden Globes took place semi-virtually on Sunday 28 February, with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosting a modified ceremony owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

Both hosts performed their duties from separate cities, on opposite coasts. Fey was in New York at the Rainbow Room, a famous venue located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (an address also known as 30 Rock, after which Fey’s sitcom was named). Amy Poehler hosted from Los Angeles.

Fey and Poehler were present in person, as were award presenters including Awkwafina, Joaquin Phoenix, Tiffany Haddish, Angela Bassett, and Margot Robbie. Nominees, however, attended remotely, and winners delivered their acceptance speeches via video link.

The ceremony marked a strong night for British performers. Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah) and John Boyega (Small Axe) were among the ceremony’s early winners, taking home the trophies for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture and Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture for TV, respectively.

Emma Corrin took Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama for her uncanny portrayal of Diana in The Crown, while Josh O’Connor won in the men’s category for his part as Prince Charles. The Crown had two more wins: one for the show itself, in the Best Television Series – Drama category, and one for American actor Gillian Anderson, voted Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher.

Read more: Golden Globes 2021 winners: The full list

Rosamund Pike earned the award for Best Actress – Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for her chilling work in I Care a Lot, while Sacha Baron Cohen took home Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his daring role in Borat Subsequent MovieFilm. The film also won Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

Anya Taylor-Joy’s performance in The Queen’s Gambit earned her the trophy for Best Actress In A Mini-Series or Motion Picture for TV. The Queen’s Gambit itself was picked for Best Television Motion Picture.

Ahead of Sunday’s ceremony, Time’s Up took the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (the organisation behind the Golden Globes) to task in a tweet that read, “A cosmetic fix isn’t enough,” next to an image with the words: “Hollywood Foreign Press Association – Not a single Black member out of 87.”

Many high-profile figures spoke out on the issue during the ceremony, from the two hosts to Jane Fonda, Sterling K Brown, Sacha Baron Cohen, and more. The HFPA said it intends to make some changes, echoing a previous statement that read in part: ““We understand that we need to bring in Black members as well as members from other underrepresented backgrounds, and we will immediately work to implement an action plan to achieve these goals as soon as possible.”

Chadwick Boseman posthumously won Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for his work in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. His wife Taylor Simone Ledward delivered a moving acceptance speech on his behalf, saying: “I don’t have his words but we have to take all the moment to celebrate all we love, so thank you, HFPA, for this opportunity to do exactly that.”

Among the high-profile wins of the evening was Chloé Zhao’s success with Nomadland. She became the second woman ever to win the award for Best Director – Motion Picture. The film itself took Best Motion Picture – Drama.

For a full list of winners, you can click here.

Follow the ceremony as it happened with our live blog:

Golden Globes talking points

• Nomadland wins Best Motion Picture – Drama
• Mark Ruffalo’s thank you speech
• Chadwick Boseman wins posthumous award

[1 March 2021 02:04 · Clemence Michallon]

Here’s more about that James Corden jab in the opening sequence of the ceremony:

[1 March 2021 02:07 · Clemence Michallon]

Trophy update: Emma Corrin wins Best Television Actress – Drama Series for her performance as Diana in The Crown!

[1 March 2021 02:09 · Clemence Michallon]

Here’s an in-depth look at Corrin’s performance as Diana, and the role’s complex history:

[1 March 2021 02:10 · Clemence Michallon]

The award for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture goes to “Io sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead.

[1 March 2021 02:11 · Clemence Michallon]

And Best Original Score for a Motion Picture goes to... Soul!

[1 March 2021 02:13 · Clemence Michallon]

More specifically, the award goes to Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross.

[1 March 2021 02:15 · Clemence Michallon]

Last year, Clarisse Loughrey spoke to Soul co-directors Pete Docter and Kemp Powers, composer Jon Batiste, and producer Dana Murray about the film:

[1 March 2021 02:17 · Clemence Michallon]

Tonight, another bit of television history is happening during the Golden Globes: in the US, the first TV commercial showing lactating breasts is airing in between the ceremony.

[1 March 2021 02:20 · Clemence Michallon]

Time for another trophy alert! Jason Sudeikis takes Best Television Actor – Musical/Comedy Series for Ted Lasso.

[1 March 2021 02:23 · Clemence Michallon]

And Schitt’s Creek takes Best TV Series – Musical or Comedy. Daniel Levy delivers the thank you speech and expresses the hope that next year’s ceremony will be more inclusive and diverse – thus reflecting the show’s values, he says.