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Golden Globes 2025: A Kickoff to Awards Season

“What’s your favourite season?”

– "Awards”


And so it begins. The 82nd Golden Globe Awards, held on January 6th, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, marked the beginning of the 2025 awards season, with their glitz, glamour, red carpets and host of influential attendees. The night also marked a significant comeback for what was once one of Hollywood's most prestigious ceremonies. 


Renowned as a precursor to the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, like many, seek to honor excellence in both film and television. This year's ceremony, hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser, made history as she became the first woman to host the Golden Globes solo. 


Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo smiling and laughing at an elegant, flower-adorned table with wine glasses. Glamorous attire and sparkling jewelry create a joyful mood. Golden Globes 2025.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo at the Golden Globes. (Image: X / Golden Globes)

Glaser, known for her celebrity roasts and out-there humor, delivered a finely calibrated monologue that was more of a gentle tease than a roast (she’s no Ricky Gervais), drawing laughs while winning over the star-studded audience. 


Her performance also came as a welcome change from recent years, which had been marred by controversy and criticism. The 2024 ceremony faced pointed critiques primarily aimed at host Jo Koy, for what many considered an awkward, listless and overall mediocre performance that brought down the atmosphere of the ceremony as a whole. 


The Globes, however, are no stranger to controversy in their recent past. The awards previously faced a major scandal in 2021 when an exposé by the Los Angeles Times revealed significant issues within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the organization behind the awards. 


The Los Angeles Times article detailed a slew of allegations which included improperly subsidizing its members' income, arbitrarily withholding membership from qualified candidates, creating a monopoly on international press access in Hollywood, and breaching journalistic ethics by accepting thousands of dollars worth of gifts from studios. 


Perhaps most damning was the revelation that none of the HFPA's 87 members were Black, with former HFPA president Meher Tatner later admitting that no Black journalist had been a member for almost two decades. This scandal led to widespread criticism of the HFPA and backlash from the industry. 


More than 100 PR firms threatened to cut ties with the HFPA, while prominent Golden Globe winners including Shonda Rhimes and Sterling K Brown spoke out against its systemic lack of diversity. 


The backlash culminated in NBC making the previously unfathomable decision of cancelling its telecast of the awards in 2022. In response, the HFPA was subsequently disbanded, and the awards were acquired by Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions in 2023. 


HFPA subsequently implemented sweeping changes, including expanding its membership from about 85 to 300 members, with a 10% Black representation and implementing new rules such as banning gifts along with updating its code of conduct and bylaws.


This year’s ceremony seemed to present a mix of winners both surprising and unexpected. 


In the film categories, Brady Corbet’s three and a half hour odyssey, The Brutalist emerged as a major winner, taking home three major categories, Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director for Brady Corbet, and Best Actor in a Drama for Adrien Brody. The film chronicles the journey of a Hungarian Jewish architect in the time after the holocaust and has been lauded by critics for its textured and mannered approach to historical drama. 


Emilia Pérez, directed by French director Jacques Audiard, dominated the musical/comedy categories with four wins, including Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña, Best Original Song, and Best Non-English Language Film. The seemingly genre-defying French production has been described as a Mexico-set gangster trans musical, featuring themes of gender transitioning, cartels, and unconventional musical numbers. 


However, while lauded by critics and festivals alike, the film has left audiences divided with general response being mixed and some questioning its placement in the Best Foreign Film category despite having a primarily American cast and significant sections of the film being in English. 


Both films’ success at the Globes is sure to make them talking points in the industry and poised to be strong contenders for the upcoming eventual Oscars race. 


One of the night's surprises came with Demi Moore's win for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her role in Coralie Fargeat’s horror-drama, The Substance. At 62, Moore's performance in the film, which explores societal pressures on ageing women, has been hailed as a powerful comeback. 


Concurrently, Sebastian Stan took home Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for A Different Man, using his acceptance speech to advocate for greater representation of disability and disfigurement in media while Kieran Culkin claimed Best Supporting Actor for A Real Pain.


In the technical categories, Luca Guadgnino’s Challengers won the award for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s incredible Original Score. Flow emerged as an unexpected winner in the Best Animated Film category, showcasing the continued evolution of animated storytelling, while Peter Straughan's layered script for Conclave took home Best Screenplay.  


In the television categories, the breakout drama Shōgun swept, winning all four awards it was nominated for, including Best Television Series - Drama. Anna Sawai won Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role in the show, while Hiroyuki Sanada and Tadanobu Asano also received acting honours for their performances.


HBO’s hilariously poignant Hacks continued its success from previous years, winning Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy and Jean Smart taking home Best Actress in that category. The show, which follows the professional relationship between a legendary Las Vegas comedian and an outcast 25-year-old, continues to be the industry standard for sharp writing and comedic performances.


Netflix’s breakthrough limited series, Baby Reindeer took home the award for Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. Based on true events, Baby Reindeer tells a harrowing story of obsession and stalking, earning critical acclaim for its raw and honest portrayal of trauma.


In other highlights, Colin Farrell and Jodie Foster both claimed acting honors in the limited series categories for The Penguin and True Detective: Night Country, respectively. Jeremy Allen White won Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series for The Bear, and Ali Wong received recognition for her stand-up special Ali Wong: Single Lady.


The 2025 Golden Globe Awards thus marked a turning point for the ceremony, successfully rebounding from its myriad of controversies and presenting a diverse array of winners across both film and television categories. 


As the first major awards show of the season, the 2025 Golden Globes set a mostly optimistic yet uncertain tone for the upcoming awards season. The ceremony balanced weightiness with moments of playfulness, proving once again that Hollywood loves a well-timed reboot. With no clear frontrunner emerging as dominantly as last year's Oppenheimer, the race for the upcoming Academy Awards also remains unpredictable and exciting. 



 

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Keywords:


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