Golden Globe Awards

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Lore & Background

This was the first Golden Globe Awards ceremony after the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) disbanded in 2023. On June 12, 2023, the HFPA announced that all of its rights and properties related to the Golden Globes were acquired by Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge Industries. On February 21, 2023, the date of the ceremony was announced. It came back on a Sunday night slot after being moved to Tuesday for the previous year. On September 18, 2023, Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner were announced as its executive producers and showrunners. On November 17, 2023, it was announced that CBS had acquired the broadcast rights to the ceremony, replacing the Golden Globes' long-time U.S. broadcast partner NBC. The nominations were announced on December 11, 2023, during an event co-hosted by Cedric the Entertainer and Wilmer Valderrama. Most of the categories were revealed during a live-streaming presentation, while ten of the categories were revealed during another segment on CBS Mornings.

In Their Own Story

On December 21, comedian and actor Jo Koy was announced as the host. Before this announcement, it was reported that a source with knowledge of the conversations told CNN that at least five A-list comedic actors, including Chris Rock and Ali Wong, declined offers to host; the hosts of the podcast SmartLess (actors Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes) also reportedly declined the offer. That same month, TheWrap reported that 64 voters threatened to withhold their final-round votes in protest, after being told that they would not be given tickets to the ceremony. Host Jo Koy's opening monologue was met with criticism from viewers and critics with many describing his jokes as "cringeworthy", "painful", and "unfunny". Chelsey Sanchez of Harper's Bazaar described the monologue as "awkward" and "distasteful". Koy was also criticized for putting blame on his writers during the monologue, coming after the lengthy 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Justin Curto of Vulture noted that when some of his jokes fell flat, Koy "immediately threw his writers under the bus... He yelled. 'Yo, shut up. You're kidding me, right. Slow down. I wrote some of these and they're the ones you're laughing at'".

Reader's Guide

The ceremony also featured the debut of two new categories: "Cinematic and Box Office Achievement" and "Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television". On September 26, 2023, it was announced that two new categories would be added for the upcoming ceremony: "Cinematic and Box Office Achievement" (a category for films that grossed at least $100 million domestically and $150 million worldwide) and "Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television" (also known as "Best Stand-Up Comedian on Television"). Some critics felt that the new categories were an attempt to improve the ceremony's viewership and relevance, with comparisons drawn to the Academy Awards' attempt to introduce a category for "Popular Film" in 2018. The two Lifetime Achievement Awards (the Cecil B. DeMille Award and the Carol Burnett Award) were not presented this year, but expected to return in the future. Executive Vice President Tim Gray explained that with the change in ownership and status, and 25 of the competitive categories expanding from 5 nominees to 6, the increase will also include a reduction with no presentation of the two aforementioned awards for this year. "This is not a permanent change, with future awards slated to be given," Gray wrote in a post on the Globes' official website. Barbie and Succession both tied for the most nominations with nine each, followed by Oppenheimer's eight. Additionally, the cultural phenomenon of "Barbenheimer" received seventeen nominations, winning seven.

Did You Know?

• The 81st Golden Globe Awards was the first to air live on CBS in the United States since 1982.
• Comedian Jo Koy hosted the ceremony after at least five A-list comedic actors, including Chris Rock and Ali Wong, reportedly declined offers to host.
• The ceremony featured the debut of two new categories: 'Cinematic and Box Office Achievement' and 'Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television'.
• For her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon, Lily Gladstone became the first Indigenous actor to win a Golden Globe Award.
• The two Lifetime Achievement Awards (the Cecil B. DeMille Award and the Carol Burnett Award) were not presented this year, but expected to return in the future.