Timothée Triumphs, Nikki Shines, and a DJ Goes Wild: The Golden Globes Uncovered

From daring dresses to blistering punch lines to an unexpected shout-out to a reptile expo in New Jersey, the Golden Globes kicked off awards season with its usual mix of glamour and irrepressible chaos. To make sense of it all, Yahoo tapped its sharpest cultural voices. Spanning fashion, beauty, movies, TV and viral internet lore, they break down the looks, wins and moments everyone will be talking about when the stars nurse their Monday morning hangovers. Here are the Golden Globes, from every angle.

Fashion | Beauty | Celebrity

Movies | TV

Viral moments

If the Golden Globes was a wedding…

There’s range to the looks on the Golden Globes red carpet, from luxury black tie to … naked. Amanda Seyfried and Ryan Michelle Bathe looked like blushing brides, ready to walk down the aisle, with Priyanka Chopra and Kate Hudson among their best-dressed wedding guests.

There is a lot of the expected — black and white, gold and silver, and sparkle — and also some of the less expected, like Jennifer Lawrence in an entirely mesh dress, strategically covered by well-placed floral appliqués. Unsurprisingly, Teyana Taylor and Jennifer Lopez went more daring, while Emma Stone opted for more cutesy in a two-piece buttery yellow set showing off some midriff.

All in all, for the start of award show season, I am satisfied. The biggest win is seeing Ariana Grande in something that isn’t pale pink.

— Kerry Justich, senior writer

The best use of color

Best use of color goes to Wunmi Mosaku, announcing her pregnancy in this gorgeous electric yellow dress by designer Mathew Reisman. She is stunning! I absolutely love this look.

— Jack Savoie, fashion blogger and designer

The best and worst clutch of the night

Now, if you know me, you know I’m all about the clutches — and they have to work. Best clutch of the night went to Jennifer Lawrence. She wore an ethereal sheer embroidered floral gown by Givenchy, featuring soft pink and green floral detailing. The clutch complemented the look beautifully without overpowering it. Effortless and perfectly styled.

Worst clutch of the night? The other Jennifer — Jennifer Lopez. She wore a vintage sheer lace appliqué gown and looked fantastic, but the clutch was unnecessary. It competed with the dress instead of supporting it. This is exactly what I mean when I say: Let the dress speak for itself. The clutch just didn’t need to be there.

— Jack Savoie, fashion blogger and designer

Messy, neutral beauty is back

Good news for all of us lazy gals — the natural, even messy beauty look is in. Sure, there were quite a few classic “Old Hollywood” moments on the Golden Globes red carpet, as you’d expect from an event as lavish as this.

But what struck me more were the array of casual beauty looks — the loose, tousled waves and untidy hairstyles (see Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Lawrence, Justine Lupe, Lisa from The White Lotus) and the pared-down, earthy-neutral makeup worn by many younger celebs (Jenna Ortega, Odessa A’zion, Brittany Snow, Laufey).

The trend feels both extremely French and even devil-may-care, though this not-trying-too-hard look could also be a sign of our leaner times. Celebrity makeup artist Denika Bedrossian (whose clients include The Bear’s Abby Elliott) called the makeup style “simple and clean,” but let’s face it (no pun), it’s a whole lot easier too.

— Jennifer Romolini, senior beauty editor

Nikki Glaser killed her monologue, skewering just the right targets

The opening monologues are always the most cringeworthy part of an awards show. It’s an impossible job: How do you toe the line between playful enough to get the star-studded crowd laughing and edgy enough to make audiences care? Nikki Glaser, in her second year as host, nailed it — coming out of the gate with sharp, political jokes about the award for most editing going to CBS News, as well as the Epstein files.

Glaser wasn’t shy about calling out rich people, which is exactly what we need from the master of ceremonies at such a glitzy and glamorous fete. Renaming the Wicked sequel Wicked: For Money cracked me up, as did her joke that Martin Short and Steve Martin were proof that "you are never too old to still need more money." She took aim at some of the biggest stars in the room, like Kevin Hart, who was on the receiving end of two different jokes about his height, and Sean Penn, whom she called a "sexy leather handbag." I’m not sure I can even repeat her lustful joke about Michael B. Jordan.

While being self-deprecating about her own looks, Glaser steered clear of truly making fun of other women, who are already being constantly dissected online. Going hard on Penn and giving Kylie Jenner a break proves she’s got a handle on pop culture. I hope we see her again next year.

— Kelsey Weekman, senior entertainment reporter

Teyana Taylor’s win could and should catapult her to the stratosphere

Teyana Taylor’s win for best supporting actress was unexpected but so incredibly earned, for her complicated and moving performance in One Battle After Another. In her acceptance speech, she gave a shout-out to her "brown sisters and little brown girls," saying "our softness is not a liability. Our depth is not too much." Beautiful.

A Golden Globe win can launch a star into the stratosphere, and I’m glad the voting committee awarded someone who’s not already an A-lister (except to me; I’ve been a fan ever since she starred in Kanye West’s "Fade" music video). Her authentic and over-the-top glee at the news of her win is such a joy to see. Take note, Oscars.

— Kelsey Weekman, senior entertainment reporter

The Globes gave us our Oscars frontrunner

Paul Thomas Anderson and One Battle After Another scooped up best director, best screenplay and best picture, musical or comedy — all the wins that matter when projecting a frontrunner at the Oscars. Anderson’s speeches were wildly charming, giving credit to the people who influenced him (and those he cribbed popular lines from). We’ll be seeing his name a lot this awards season.

— Kelsey Weekman, senior entertainment reporter

Moura-mentum is real

The Brazilian actor and star of The Secret Agent Wagner Moura, who readers may recognize as Pablo Escobar from Netflix’s hit show Narcos, took home a Golden Globe in a category stacked with A-list American actors. He was undoubtedly helped by how the Globes categorizes things — he won for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama, allowing Timothée Chalamet to also win for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy — but the film and its star have proven to be unexpectedly strong contenders in a stacked year.

— Brett Arnold, film critic and author of Yahoo’s weekly Trust Me I Watch Everything

‘Hamnet’ scores a pleasant surprise win

The night was full of both predictable wins and pleasant surprises! Stellan Skarsgård winning for Sentimental Value was a well deserved honor as well as a shock, since many thought Benicio Del Toro had that category locked up. With Skarsgård’s win here, I can see a clear path for his first Oscar.

Hamnet winning for Best Motion Picture, Drama shocked everyone, but no one seemed more surprised than writer and director Chloé Zhao herself. I had thought Sinners was a sure win but was aware that there was maybe a small chance for an upset from The Secret Agent, thanks to the Globes’ foreign voting body. This Hamnet win really shook up the best picture race in ways we will be analyzing endlessly until March 15.

— Mary Arndt, host of I Just Wanna Chat podcast

The Globes signal a far less diverse TV landscape

Glory to Adolescence, The Pitt and The Studio! There weren’t too many shocking television-related upsets at the Golden Globes this year — aside from Michelle Williams finally nabbing an award for Dying for Sex, which previously lost out at the Emmys despite its nine nominations, and Rhea Seehorn, winning her first major award for Pluribus.

That said, winners in television categories specifically were predominantly white (with the exception of Stephen Graham, who is mixed race). It is a worrying trend across the industry in the context of changing political landscapes — one that takes the Globes back to the years before the concerted effort to diversify its membership after racist controversies plagued the organization back in 2021.

— Michel Ghanem, TV critic and writer

The Globes were struck with ‘Heated Rivalry’-mania

On a brighter side, the mega-hit Heated Rivalry brought a pop of fun buzz for the broadcast. The Globes love something flashy. It was announced just a few weeks before that the stars of HBO Max and Crave’s hockey drama would be making their way to the Globes as presenters. From Glaser’s onstage shout-out to the reaction shots, and finally, to its stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams’s dramatic presentation, the sexy hockey drama permeated the broadcast, just like it has every corner of online life lately. Storrie and Hudson were also seated at a prime table with Charli xcx and the film nominees Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley. If the Golden Globes is an indication of anything, it’s that the momentum and sustained buzz of this show is unstoppable, and we’re just along for the ride.

— Michel Ghanem, TV critic and writer

A New Jersey reptile expo gets a shout-out

After winning best actress in a musical or comedy, Rose Byrne shouted out her longtime partner, Bobby Cannavale, who couldn’t be there to watch her win. “We’re getting a bearded dragon, and he went to a reptile expo in New Jersey, so thank you, baby,” she said in her acceptance speech. Safe to say that’s a first, and given the chaotic day-to-day experience of parenthood depicted in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, extremely fitting.

— Kelsey Weekman, senior entertainment reporter

The DJ kept things interesting (and bizarre)

Whoever DJ’d the Golden Globes was really feeling themselves. They played “Yeah!” by Usher, as Skarsgård moseyed up to the stage to accept best supporting actor for portraying a mess of a megalomaniac father. For other winners and presenters, they played “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga, “Run Away With Me” by Carly Rae Jepsen, “Pon de Replay” by Rihanna and plenty of other bubblegum pop songs that sound insanely expensive to license. I’ll be thinking about Macaulay Culkin walking out to “Return of the Mack” by Mark Morrison played for a long time. Bravo.

— Kelsey Weekman, senior entertainment reporter

A viral star is born in Hudson Williams

We’ve already talked about Heated Rivalry-mania, but I’d be remiss not to point out that Williams is a viral-moment-generating machine. Every move he makes is unpredictable, from joking about the sex in the show with Gayle King to flipping off the camera during his Glambot moment. May he never succumb to media training.

— Kelsey Weekman, senior entertainment reporter