The 2018 Golden Globes on Sunday were a certainly departure from loose, boozy vibe we’ve come to expect from the Hollywood Foreign Press’s annual award show. From the all-black ensembles to the “Time’s Up” buttons on every lapel, the ceremony was tightly focused on a single theme: #MeToo and the need to end sexual harassment. Yet the evening still felt like an award show rather than an act of dissent—the celebs smiled, walked the red carpet, presented and accepted awards. Many used the moment to call for gender equality, but few ventured into controversial territory.
Yet there were moments that broke through the mannered protest and stuck a unexpected thumb in the eye of award show etiquette. Here’s a look at three:
Natalie Portman announcing Best Director
The Hollywood Foreign Press’s decision to nominate five men for Best Director had not gone unnoticed in the run-up to the awards—and Natalie Portman made sure it wasn’t forgotten during the ceremony. The actress, who appeared on stage with Ron Howard immediately after Oprah Winfrey’s epic acceptance speech for her Cecile B. DeMille Award, introduced the award for Best Director with a deadpan: “And here are the all-male nominees.”
Twitter jumped on the dig, with some users applauding Portman’s choice of words…
🙌💅 Just when you were already out of oxygen from screaming YAS and crying from @Oprah's speech, #NataliePortman serves some tea with "And here are the all-male nominees for Best Director." #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/sceehQlJPm
— Logo 🏳️🌈 (@LogoTV) January 8, 2018
And then my girl #NataliePortman names the all “male” nominees for best director! Preach!
— Zoe Saldana (@zoesaldana) January 8, 2018
…and others disapproving:
So unnecessary of #NataliePortman to try and take away a special moment form many deserving male directors. #timesup #equalityformen
— Jacob (@EmperorAJacob) January 8, 2018
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Calling out E! on the red carpet
While E! hosts are usually the ones asking the questions on the red carpet, the dynamic was reversed this year, as several celebs seized the moment to ask about Catt Sadler, who quit the network last month after learning that her male co-host Jason Kennedy earned almost twice as much as she did.
Debra Messing raised the pay gap subject with E!’s Giuliana Rancic, saying, “I was so shocked to hear that E! doesn’t believe in paying their female co-hosts the same as their male co-hosts. I miss Catt Sadler. So we stand with her. And that’s something that can change tomorrow. We want people to start having this conversation that women are just as valuable as men.”
Debra Messing drags E! (while being interviewed on E!): "I was so shocked to hear that E! doesn't believing in paying their female co-hosts the same as their male co-hosts" pic.twitter.com/HF3B2uhwtF
— David Mack (@davidmackau) January 7, 2018
Other attendees, including Sarah Jessica Parker and Laura Dern, also alluded to Sadler’s departure during their red carpet interviews.
That Harvey Weinstein joke
And it wasn’t just women who tried to push the Globes audience out of its comfort zone. Host Seth Meyers opened his intro monologue with, “Good evening ladies and remaining gentlemen” and went on to address the man whose alleged crimes launched the #MeToo movement: “Harvey Weinstein isn’t in the room tonight. Don’t worry, he’ll be back in 20 years when he’ll be the first person to be booed during the In Memoriam segment.”
