Top 30 Cringiest Golden Globe Moments EVER
#30: A Box Office Award for a Movie That Hasn’t Been Released Yet
“83rd Golden Globe Awards” (2026)
This awkward moment happened months before the actual ceremony. When it was unveiled in 2023, the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award immediately felt like a cheap, pandering attempt to grab new viewers. At the same time, it also cast blockbusters as lesser fare than movies nominated in major categories. But people were awfully confused when “Avatar: Fire & Ash” made the list of nominees in November 2025, when it hadn’t even premiered. How can a box office award be given to a movie that hasn’t made anything at the box office yet? Apparently, movies are eligible for the award based on projected earnings. It might be the first Golden Globe nomination based purely on vibes.
#29: Reneé Zellweger’s Bathroom Break
“58th Golden Globe Awards” (2001)
Stars, they’re just like us. When Hugh Grant announced that Reneé Zellweger had won the Golden Globe for her role in “Nurse Betty,” she was nowhere to be found. She was spotted running through the crowd moments later. She had been in the bathroom at the time to put on lipstick, as she explained later. What’s cringeworthy about this isn’t necessarily her reaction, which is really gracious given the circumstances. But the situation itself sounds truly embarrassing. The idea of an entire awards show being held up because you’re in the bathroom is pure nightmare fuel.
#28: Jane Fonda Is Not Amused
“73rd Golden Globe Awards” (2016)
While presenting the Best Supporting Actress award, Channing Tatum invites an unexpected guest on stage. Introducing the bear from “The Revenant,” Tatum welcomes Jonah Hill on stage. Actually, it’s Jonah Hill with a bear plushie hat on his head. It’s a tired enough joke that overstays its welcome quickly. But the most iconic, relatable, and cringeworthy moment is when the show cuts to nominee Jane Fonda sitting in the audience, completely unamused by the bit. Her stoic face says it all. Although hilarious for us, it’s also a moment that’s just dripping with secondhand embarrassment.
#27: Vin Diesel & Dwayne Johnson’s Awkward Run-In
“82nd Golden Globe Awards” (2025)
Viewers didn’t know what to make of the moment when the famously contentious co-stars had a brief, presumably unscripted interaction at the 2025 ceremony. After years of reported feuding, presenter Vin Diesel tossed off a weirdly pointed greeting to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the audience. Knowing their history, it almost seems like Vin Diesel is taunting him. But it’s genuinely hard to tell. It’s also hard to tell if Johnson’s frozen smile is genuine or just an example of smiling through the awkwardness. Since then, they’ve reportedly squashed their beef. But it’s not clear if that was the status of their relationship on Globes Night.
#26: Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban’s Awkward Kiss
“75th Golden Globe Awards” (2018)
The day after she collected the Globe for “Big Little Lies,” news outlets were more focused on Nicole Kidman’s attempts to kiss her husband, country singer Keith Urban. For what seemed like an uncomfortably long time, Urban was trying to stand while Kidman was trying to kiss him before he was ready. This instance of bad timing turned into an actual news event. Major news outlets were reporting on the kiss that almost wasn’t. It’s not clear what’s more cringeworthy here. That it happened or that it became such a sticking point when it happened.
#25: Teleprompter Fail
“74th Golden Globe Awards” (2017)
His late-night chops and established fanbase made Jimmy Fallon a natural choice for hosting duties. This should have put him in the best position to handle the perils of live TV. But things immediately start on the wrong foot. Fallon looks genuinely clueless as he tells the audience the teleprompter is down. His prepared monologue is nowhere to be seen. Although the crowd is supportive, watching him stall and blow smoke until the prompter is fixed is a special kind of cringe. It’s made even worse when he actually doesn’t fare much better when the prompter returns.
#24: Tommy Wiseau Goes for the Mic
“75th Golden Globe Awards” (2018)
Even if a biopic subject is alive, they usually don’t take the stage when the actor playing them wins an award. James Franco won the Golden Globe for his performance in “The Disaster Artist,” a biopic about Tommy Wiseau, the notorious multi-hyphenate artist behind “The Room.” Even before Franco could thank him, Wiseau was heading for the stage. Franco had clearly learned his subject well. Before Wiseau can grab the mic, Franco basically blocks him. It’s an uncomfortable moment, but luckily, it doesn’t go much further than a slight hiccup. Wiseau stands off to the side for the rest of the speech while everyone just kind of uncomfortably laughs it off.
#23: Christine Lahti’s Bathroom Break
“55th Golden Globe Awards” (1998)
Imagine it. You’re nominated for an awards show. You don’t know your category’s coming, but you have to go to the bathroom. That was the case with Christine Lahti at the 1998 Golden Globes. She was in the bathroom when Laura San Giacomo and Michael J. Fox announced she had won. The chaos is like a textbook example of a show going wrong. Everyone is scrambling to keep things on track. It even takes Robin Williams to get on stage and stall for her. When Lahti finally sweeps onstage to collect her award, she’s winded and embarrassed. Sometimes, we’re cringing at someone. Sometimes, though, we’re cringing with them.
#22: Natalie Portman Calls Out the HFPA
“75th Golden Globe Awards” (2018)
When the Golden Globe-winning actress joined Ron Howard to present the award for Best Director, Natalie Portman went off-script. She couldn’t help but notice a big omission from the list. There were, once again, no women nominated. This time, it was the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that should have been cringing at that moment. When the footage cut to the nominees in the category, it was clear they weren’t sure how to react. But Portman had a major point. In fact, at that time, only one woman had won the award, and that was when Barbra Streisand took it home in 1984. Only three had been nominated since. Two more, Chloé Zhao and Jane Campion, have since won.
#21: Jo Koy’s Monologue
“81st Golden Globe Awards” (2024)
It’s not strange for the host of an awards show to point out all the stars in attendance. But stand-up comedian Jo Koy’s breathless fawning over the attendees got the monologue off to a rough start. And Koy never recovers. The laughs are few and far between. At one point, when the camera is behind Koy, it captures the stone-faced celebrities watching him while canned laughter is added to the soundtrack. Every time he finds a new celebrity in the audience, they look as if they would rather be anywhere else. Koy even starts blaming the writers for his jokes in the middle of the monologue. It was not a great look.
#20: Hugh Laurie Leaves Tom Hiddleston Hanging
“74th Golden Globe Awards” (2017)
We’ve all been there before. You want to congratulate your friend, you go in for the kill – and they just blow right by you. Fortunately for us, most of our moments like this aren’t broadcast to the world. But Tom Hiddleston wasn’t so lucky. Hiddleston starred with Hugh Laurie in the 2016 miniseries “The Night Manager.” In 2017, Laurie was recognized for his impeccable work and won a Golden Globe. Hiddleston, clearly happy for this coworker, tries to go in for the handshake. But Laurie completely misses him! While Hiddleston’s cool enough to play it off, the missed moment still makes us wince with embarrassment.
#19: Ryan Reynolds’ Spray Tan
“74th Golden Globe Awards” (2017)
If we were going to “The Golden Globe Awards,” we would definitely take a day to get dolled up. But while we understand what Ryan Reynolds was going for in 2017, we think he might’ve taken things a bit too far. It was extremely evident throughout the night that Reynolds overdid with the spray tan. Since he generally doesn’t look like he’s been dyed orange, everyone was more than a little concerned. The true proof that Reynolds went too far came later in the night when he presented an award with Emma Stone. Next to Stone’s fair complexion, Reynolds was positively glowing…and we don’t mean that as a compliment. We hope this incident encouraged him to keep a closer eye on his tan.
#18: Ewan McGregor’s Thank Yous
“75th Golden Globe Awards” (2018)
On the surface, this awards show moment seems harmless. During his acceptance speech for a “Fargo” win,” Ewan McGregor thanks his wife Eve Mavrakis for standing by him for 22 years. He also gave special thanks to cast members like Mary Elizabeth Winstead. What should’ve been a normal speech got a lot more cringeworthy in the following weeks. According to reports, McGregor was in the process of separating from his wife at that point. At the same time, he was also dating Winstead. McGregor’s decision to thank his soon to be ex-wife in almost the same breath as his future spouse was definitely a choice that raised some eyebrows.
#17: Mel Gibson & Ricky Gervais
“73rd Golden Globe Awards” (2016)
Over the years, Mel Gibson has been caught saying hateful things about marginalized people and ethnic groups. During the 2016 “Golden Globe Awards,” Ricky Gervais had no problem calling him out. Before introducing the actor, the comedian brought up some jokes he had made about Gibson at previous award shows. Instead of backing down, Gervais tripled down on his comments. These jokes didn’t seem to sit too well with Gibson. After the displeased actor shot some barbs back, Gervais brought up a vulgar phrase the actor used to describe a female officer during a DUI stop. The whole exchange left the audience and us shocked.
#16: Josh O’Connor Gets Played Off
“78th Golden Globe Awards” (2021)
The 2021 “Golden Globe Awards” was one of the first award shows to come back after taking time off because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning how to do award shows over Zoom couldn’t have been easy, and we commend those in charge. But there are a few cringey moments we still can’t get over. When Josh O’Connor won an award for his portrayal of Prince Charles in “The Crown,” he took a moment to shout out those who weren’t able to work because of the pandemic. This sweet gesture on O’Connor’s part was ruined because the music started playing when he got to that section of his speech. It’s a shame the staff couldn’t let him finish his dedication without a musical distraction.
#15: Rosamund Pike Thanks the Broken Legal System
“78th Golden Globe Awards” (2021)
We’re not sure if Rosamund Pike practiced this speech before she delivered it. But we wouldn’t be surprised if it was a bit improvised. In 2021, Pike won a Golden Globe for starring in “I Care a Lot,” a film about a con artist who scams the elderly. Pike’s speech is a pretty standard until the very end. As she closes the speech she thanks the broken American legal system for allowing stories like “I Care a Lot” to exist. We get that Pike was trying to create awareness and take one more shot at America’s legal system. However, the way her voice sort of trails off at the end suggests that she realized mid-way that her phrasing during the speech could’ve used some work.
#14: Catherine O’Hara Jokes About Running Out of Time
“78th Golden Globe Awards” (2021)
Play off music is an unnecessary evil of any awards show to prevent people from taking up too much time. However, Catherine O’Hara tried to make this common practice into a joke at one ceremony. During her acceptance speech for “Schitt’s Creek,” she had her husband start to play her off with music from his phone. O’Hara then pretends to be offended and starts to speed her way through the end of her remarks. Although we understood what she was trying to do, the bit didn’t quite work. Not only did it take a while to get that it was all a joke, but parts of her speech were hard to hear. O’Hara’s gag was ultimately more awkward and confusing than anything else.
#13: Jacqueline Bisset’s Rambling Acceptance Speech
“71st Golden Globe Awards” (2014)
Typically, actors accepting an award express their gratitude, make a punchy speech and then leave. But Jacqueline Bisset went a little off that course in 2014. When she won for her role in 2013’s “Dancing on the Edge,” she seemed a bit overwhelmed. While you can tell Bisset is genuinely moved for winning an award after decades of work, she has a hard time staying on track. Bisset’s speech stops and jumps to different subjects at random. And when the music starts to play her off, she ignores it. She also lets out something that needed to be bleeped. Thankfully, the music seemed to push her to end her long-winded and awkward speech.
#12: Nicole Kidman Denies Rami Malek
“76th Golden Globe Awards” (2019)
Even the slightest fail can become big news when it happens on a fancy awards show stage. Rami Malek learned this the hard way at the 2019 Golden Globe Awards. When Kidman presented an award to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” he came onstage with his cast and crew to accept it. Malek tried to get Kidman’s attention repeatedly to no avail. Even a light touch isn’t enough to get her attention. Although the camera shows Malek being a bit dejected, he later clarified that he knows Kidman well and they just had a failure to communicate. Despite the backstory, the moment still looks cringeworthy to rewatch today.
#11: Jack Nicholson Admits He’s on Valium
“60th Golden Globe Awards” (2003)
In 2003, Nicholson earned yet another big accolade when he won the best actor Golden Globe for his role in “About Schmidt.” However, we don’t think his speech was up for any awards after he was done. Nicholson opens the speech by expressing an awkward opinion about Nicole Kidman’s nose. Although he seems to get back on track by talking about the movie, his quiet tones and random tangents seemed to hint that something was off. Eventually, Nicholson flat out admits that he took a valium earlier in the night. His surprisingly honest admission made it clear why his speech left us cringing more than once.
#10: Cate Blanchett Jokes About Judy Garland
“71st Golden Globe Awards” (2014)
Hollywood icon Judy Garland had a long history of substance use disorder throughout her lifetime. Ultimately, she passed away after consuming too many barbiturates at once. These tragic facts make any jokes about her issues to be in poor taste. But Cate Blanchett attempted to make light of Garland’s struggles during a 2014 speech. After clinching the win for “Blue Jasmine”, a normal acceptance statement seemed to go way off script. When the music started playing, Blanchett compared the amount of drinks she was given with barbiturates Judy Garland consumed. This extremely dark comparison felt like it was unfairly targeting the darkest part of a legend’s life. Blanchett definitely created an awkward moment for all here.
#9: Seth Rogen’s Inappropriate Joke
“69th Golden Globe Awards” (2012)
Even our most beloved comedians can sometimes miss the mark with a joke. This was definitely clear for Rogen when he presented the award for “Best Actress - Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical” with Kate Beckinsale. As soon as the two step on stage, Rogen makes a crack about Beckinsale’s beauty. He also jokes that he’s very excited to be next to her in a very adult way.
The x-rated joke really has no deeper meaning or layers to it. And although Beckinsale, for her part, handles it with grace, she shouldn’t have had to listen to the comment in the first place. The fact that the camera cuts to kids after the joke cemented how awkward this joke was.
#8: Emma Stone Needs a Hug
“74th Golden Globe Awards” (2017)
Emma Stone could’ve definitely used at least one more hug in 2017. She was naturally happy when her “La La Land'' collaborator Damien Chazelle won for Best Screenplay at the Golden Globe Awards. As he stood up from his table, the hugs and congrats begin…but not without a little awkwardness. As one of the stars of the film, Stone is seated quite close to Chazelle and goes in for a hug. But she went for it right when his girlfriend was going in for a kiss. As a result, Stone unintentionally sandwiches her director in between herself and his beau. The awkward expressions that appear on her face as Chazelle walks away speak volumes.
#7: Daniel Kaluuya on Mute
“78th Golden Globe Awards” (2021)
As we as a society have become more familiar with Zoom, one thing remains true. Somebody will always try to speak while they are still on mute. That little snafu usually doesn’t happen on national television like it did for Daniel Kaluuya. During his Golden Globe acceptance for his portrayal of Fred Hampton in “Judas and the Black Messiah,” he had some technical difficulties As Kaluuya starts to talk, somebody else says, “Wish I could hear!” And we agree, mystery voice! Presenter Laura Dern tries to gracefully apologize for the technical mishap. But right before she can, Kaluuya returns in full force at full volume. While it was great to hear him finally come through, the leadup to his speech was layered with cringey moments.
#6: Leonardo DiCaprio’s Brush With Lady Gaga
“73rd Golden Globe Awards” (2016)
Over the years, Leonardo DiCaprio has given us plenty of memeworthy and viral moments behind and in front of the cameras. Sometimes he’s not even in the spotlight when he gives us something to talk about. In 2016, Lady Gaga won a Golden Globe for her role in “American Horror Story.” As she was sliding past tables, she accidentally bumps into none other than DiCaprio himself. He then appeared to give Gaga some pretty serious side eye. DiCaprio later claimed that it was just a shocked expression that was meant to be innocent. However, that didn’t stop the internet from taking this unexpected expression and making it the subject of memes and articles.
#5: Robert De Niro Mocks His Own Movie
“68th Golden Globe Awards” (2011)
Years of incredible performances led to Robert De Niro winning the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award at the 2011 Golden Globe Awards. While it was a great time to talk about his career highs, De Niro took the moment to talk about a definite low. The iconic actor joked that he might not have gotten this honor if the people in charge had seen his recent film “Little Fockers”. While the joke at the expense of that low-rated comedy was pretty funny, some audience members were definitely uncomfortable with his callout. De Niro further highlights his feelings by calling it just a job. While the actor’s career definitely didn’t suffer for publicly making fun of the film, it still made us wince a bit.
#4: Jeremy Renner’s Eyes Wander Around Jennifer Lopez
“72nd Golden Globe Awards” (2015)
Although Jeremy Renner is well known for playing the accurate archer Hawkeye, his 2015 Golden Globe Awards appearance missed the mark by a mile. At the ceremony, he presented an award with superstar Jennifer Lopez. As she was opening up the envelope, he comments on her body by making a crack about “globes.” The quick and inappropriate comment didn’t go unnoticed by an uncomfortable Lopez and members of the crowd that groaned. Not only was Renner’s comment wildly inappropriate, but it took attention away from the award presentation. Lopez later brushed away his words as a joke. However, the interaction still makes us cringe whenever we see it.
#3: Isaac Mizrahi Gropes Scarlett Johansson
“63rd Golden Globe Awards” (2006)
During the 2006 Golden Globe Awards, red carpet fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi stirred up controversy for asking invasive questions about what women were and weren’t wearing. But his most infamous incident came when he was speaking with Scarlett Johansson. While asking about her outfit, he reached out and groped her chest. Johansson later called Mizrahi out for making up a thin excuse as to why he needed to touch her without consent. In turn, he came out relatively unscathed from the encounter and said “If anyone was offended, I’m sorry. Over a decade after this shocking incident, awareness has greatly increased for inappropriate behavior. It’s likely that Mizrahi would face more dire social consequences for his actions.
#2: Bill Cosby Jokes
“72nd Golden Globe Awards” (2015)
Although Bill Cosby was once an aspirational icon, everything changed when numerous assault allegations about him started to go public in 2014. Golden Globe Awards hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey attempted to make light of the serious news in 2015. When discussing the fairytale musical, “Into the Woods” Poehler made a joke about Sleeping Beauty getting coffee with Cosby. The audience reacted with a mix of shock and laughter at the brazen comment. Not to be outdone, Fey immediately followed her co-host with a Cosby joke of her own. They then proceeded to trade impressions of the controversial star. Given the serious nature of the accusations levied against Cosby, it’s hard to watch the hosts make such casual jokes about him.
#1: Elizabeth Taylor’s Envelope Mishap
“58th Golden Globe Awards” (2001)
When Elizabeth Taylor presented the big award for Best Picture at the 2001 Golden Globe Awards, things didn’t go exactly to plan. Although she promised to read out the nominees, the actress opened the envelope with the winner right away. This prompted several bystanders to yell out and try to stop her from revealing the big award recipient too early. A moment later, famous tv personality Dick Clark came onstage to get things back on track. While it’s unclear if Taylor’s mixup was due the long night or some pre stage partying, the presentation became memorable. Although people laughed and applauded her, it was still cringeworthy that she almost gave away the Best Picture Golden Globe earlier than she should have.
What’s your favorite Golden Globes moment? Tell us in the comments.
