Top 10 Cringiest Golden Globe Moments

Robert De Niro is acting royalty. At the 2011 ceremony, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association honored his illustrious career with the coveted Cecil B. DeMille Award. Shortly before receiving this lifetime achievement award, the acclaimed actor had starred in the critically panned “Little Fockers.” While accepting the honorary Golden Globe, De Niro thanked the HFPA for making this announcement two months before his latest movie hit theaters. De Niro basically admitted that the film was a job and nothing more. While his crack scored a pretty big laugh, it also caused various people in the room to wince. By the time he awkwardly asked the crowd to applaud the HFPA for their work, we had our faces in our hands.

Also in 2011, Natalie Portman earned a well-deserved Golden Globe for her haunting performance as Nina in “Black Swan.” Portman’s acceptance speech wasn’t exactly graceful, however. The Best Actress winner got off to a good start, thanking the HFPA and her family. Matters took an awkward turn, though, as Portman turned to her husband, Benjamin Millepied. In addition to choreographing “Black Swan,” Millepied also played a character that states he’d never sleep with Nina. Portman decided to compliment his acting skills, since that’s obviously not true IRL: how else would Portman have gotten pregnant with their first child? She managed to make things even more uncomfortable with a bizarre laugh.

Jennifer Lopez has never been afraid to show some skin, especially at award shows. In 2015, the singer/actress gave out a couple of Golden Globes alongside actor Jeremy Renner. When it came time to reveal the winner, Lopez offered to open the envelope since she had the nails. Checking out her cleavage, Renner pointed out that JLo also had the globes. The entire audience seemed taken aback and Renner looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Some people found Renner’s comment funny while others considered it sexual harassment. As for Lopez, she chose to just laugh it off. After all, it’s not like this was the first time somebody made a joke about her breasts.

The Golden Globes are known for being one of the more laidback award ceremonies. The great Jack Nicholson got a little too relaxed in 2003, however. Having just won the Best Actor award for “About Schmidt,” Nicholson started by making a crack about presenter Nicole Kidman’s nose, which we’re hoping was in reference to her film “The Hours.” He then quietly rambled on about how his movie should’ve been categorized as a comedy and targeted his costars with a couple of quips. To cap things off, Nicholson confessed that he’d taken a Valium earlier that night. This would certainly explain his peculiar behavior. We wouldn’t be surprised if Nicholson also had a couple shots before getting on stage.

#6: Ricky Gervais’ 2011 Opening Monologue 68th Golden Globe Awards (2011)

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Ricky Gervais pulled no punches while hosting the Golden Globes in 2010. When the comedian returned the following year, he tried to up his game by being even more controversial. With a tall glass of beer by his side, Gervais unapologetically made fun of – among others – Charlie Sheen, Cher, Tom Cruise, Hugh Hefner, Mel Gibson, and the cast of “Sex and the City 2.” He even took a pretty cruel shot at “The Tourist,” which earned three Golden Globe nominations despite receiving mostly underwhelming reviews. Gervais split audiences down the middle, as some found his routine hilarious while others argued it was too mean. Either way, there’s no denying that jaws hit the floor that night.

Jodie Foster has always been quiet about her personal life. Her sexual orientation in particular was a question mark for the longest time. Upon receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2013, Foster decided to finally address the elephant in the room… well, sort of. Building up tension with some jokes that didn’t seem to land, it appeared that Foster was going to come out of the closet. Instead, she caught everyone off guard by saying, “I am single.” Although Foster never said “lesbian” or “gay,” the public assumed that this was her official coming out speech. While the language was somewhat ambiguous, Foster has since married photographer/actress Alexandra Hedison. In other words, she’s not single anymore.

Jeremy Renner getting a good look at JLo’s cleavage is one thing; grabbing a woman’s breasts is a whole ‘nother level of awkward. In 2006, fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi interviewed Scarlett Johansson on the red carpet. In addition to asking Johansson about her underwear, Mizrahi proceeded to grope the actress on live television. As if that’s not uncomfortable enough, he repeatedly chanted, “I touched Scarlett’s boobs!” Johansson playfully chuckled at the time, but she later stated that the grope was in poor taste. This embarrassing encounter has since been swept under the rug, although we’re wondering if a heterosexual man would’ve gotten off so easily.

#3: Bill Cosby Joke 72nd Golden Globe Awards (2015)

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Ricky Gervais might’ve been an edgy host, but Tina Fey and Amy Poehler managed to outdo him with a single joke. The entire world was shocked when numerous women publicly accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault. At the 2015 Golden Globe Awards, Fey and Poehler gave their two cents on this touchy subject. The comedic duo both impersonated Cosby, poking fun at his date rape allegations. The bit was met with uproarious applause, although there were still plenty of people that accused Fey and Poehler of going too far. In any case, this unforgettable moment set social media on fire.

Sometimes nature calls at the most inopportune times. In 1998, Christine Lahti won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series. After her named was called, however, the “Chicago Hope” star was nowhere to be found. Her show’s executive producer, John Tinker, jumped onstage to vamp, but revealed Lahti was in the ladies’ room. Fortunately, Robin Williams volunteered to stall. Once Lahti finally did arrive, she appeared out of breath and practically at a loss for words. A similar incident occurred in 2001, as Renée Zellweger took an untimely bathroom break when she won a Golden Globe for “Nurse Betty.” The fact that Hugh Grant was presenting the award made it feel like something out of “Bridget Jones.” Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: - The Face of Post-Racial America 66th Golden Globe Awards (2009) - Bette Midler’s Golden Globes Joke 37th Golden Globe Awards (1980) - Jacqueline Bisset’s Rambling Acceptance Speech 71st Golden Globe Awards (2014)

It’s customary for stars to have one too many drinks at the Golden Globes, and this has lead to countless cringe-worthy moments. Many suspect that the late Elizabeth Taylor got uncomfortably inebriated at the 2001 ceremony, before she handed out the award for Best Motion Picture – Drama. Prior to even announcing the nominees, Taylor prepared to open the envelope. Fortunately, Dick Clark helped the Hollywood legend get back on track. Even then, though, Taylor’s slurred, slow speech unleashed a tidal wave of awkwardness. By the time she finally announced “Gladiator” as the winner, Taylor looked like she was ready to start dancing with pink elephants. We’re not saying she was drunk, but either way this was cringe worthy. Do you agree with our list? What do you think is the cringiest Golden Globe moment? For more entertaining Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to MsMojo.