Golden Globe Awards 2021: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler mock HFPA, James Corden and Kate Hudson

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler ripped the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for having no black members during their Golden Globes monologue to crowds mostly filled with first responders on Sunday.  

Fey, 50, broadcast from the Rainbow Room at 30 Rock in New York City – where ‘indoor dining and outdoor muggings are back.’ Poehler, 49, joined her from the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles while celebrities called in to the awards show from video remote streams in front of masked frontline workers. The only celebrities present were the ones who handed out awards.

‘Normally, this room is full of celebrities but tonight our audience, on both coasts, is made up of smoking hot first responders and essential workers,’ Fey told the crowd, who were seated at socially distanced stations. ‘We are so grateful for the work that you do and that you’re here so the celebrities can stay safely at home.’ 

The comedians then took aim at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association who has been under fire this week for the lack of black journalists amid the 87 members. 

‘The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is made up of around 90 international – no black – journalists who attend movie junkets each year in search of a better life,’ Fey said, adding that ‘a number of black actors and black-led projects were overlooked.’  

‘We all know award shows are stupid… the point is, even with stupid things, inclusivity is important and there are no black members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. I realize, HFPA you many not have gotten the memo because your workplace is the back booth of a French McDonald’s, but you got to change that.’

Poehler chimed in adding she is ‘looking forward to that change.’

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The latest: Tina Fey, 50, and Amy Poehler, 49, were fearless in delivering the Golden Globes monologue Sunday with jabs at the HFPA’s diversity problem, James Corden and Kate Hudson among other remarks 

The Golden Globes were held remotely with only a small crowd of socially distanced first responders in attendance on both coasts

The HFPA came under scrutiny this week after the Los Angeles Times discovered that the group has no black members and Hollywood celebrities and industry guilds have since voiced criticism. ‘A cosmetic fix isn’t enough. When whole cultures are shut out of the conversation, their art and their voices are shut out as well,’ the Directors Guild, which has 18,000 members, wrote on Facebook.

In a subsequent segment on the show, HFPA officials acknowledged the issues and pledged to focus their efforts on improving things moving forward.

‘We’ll look feared to a more inclusive future,’ HFPA President Ali Sar said. ‘That means creating an environment where diverse membership is the norm, not the exception.’

Ex-HFPA President Meher Tatna said, ‘We must ensure everyone from all underrepresented communities get a seat at our table -and we are going to make that happen.’ 

The returning co-hosts also packed their speech with jokes addressing the pandemic and ‘all the fantastic TV shows you binged this year: the American Office, old Columbos and very one-sided news programs.’ 

In part of the monologue, Fey and Poehler tried to explain the difference between movies and TV shows, taking a jab at the pandemic and the quality of entertainment content released since movie theaters were closed.

Sean Penn, pictured, was one of the celebrities who presented in person from Beverly Hills during the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards

Award honorees like Carol Burnett Award winner Norman Lear, center, tuned into the event remotely via online video feeds to accept their awards

Chloé Zhao appears via video at the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton and broadcast on Sunday

Sacha Baron Cohen, left, slammed Rudy Giuliani and former President Donald Trump in his acceptance speeches during the Golden Globes

‘If it stars Matthew McConaughey as a poetic drifter, it’s a car commercial,’ Poehler said, joking about the star’s Lincoln commercials.

Fey added: ‘In movies its called human trafficking but on TV its called 90 Day Fiance.’ 

The comedy duo then went on to explain some of the movies and shows nominated for awards, targeting James Corden for his appearance in the musical The Prom.

Corden’s performance had been slammed as homophobic after the actor, who is straight, played a gay character in the Netflix film, which got a low 55 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. 

‘The Queen’s Gambit is whatever James Corden was up to in The Prom,’ Fey joked.

‘The Prom came out at the perfect time because this year so many teenagers didn’t get to go to their prom this year so they could James Corden and Meryl Streep go to it instead.’

Salma Hayek, left and Margot Robbie, were some of the few celebrities who attended the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton on Sunday, before handing out awards

Fey’s 30 Rock co-star Tracy Morgan, pictured, attends the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Rainbow Room

Because of coronavirus protocols, only first responders and some celebrities presenting awards were seated in the crowd

Frontline and essential workers attend as guests during the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Rainbow Room in New York City

Fey then again targeted the the HFPA while explaining the Pixar movie Soul.

‘Soul is a beautiful Pixar animated movie where a middle age black man’s soul accidentally gets knocked out of his body and into a cat. The HFPA really responded to this movie because they do have two cat members,’ Fey said.

They also joked, ‘Sia’s Music is nominated for best international flop-eroonie … and I don’t want to get into guys, but it’s real problematic, and Twitter is saying that it’s the worst casting since Kate Hudson became a Weight Watchers spokesperson.’

The two hosts slammed Music, which is nominated for best motion picture, after Sia apologized for a scene in which a character with autism played by Maddie Ziegler is restrained in a dangerous manner.

Fey brought up the controversy that unfurled amid the recent revelation there were no black journalists amid the 87 members in the HFPA 

Repeat: Poehler and Fey returned to host for the fourth time; the comedy duo did the honors in 2013, 2014 and 2015 

Later in the awards show, Sacha Baron Cohen accepted the Golden Globe award for Best Comedy or Musical film for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.

‘Thank you to the all white Hollywood Foreign Press,’ Baron Cohen said at the start of his acceptance speech.

‘I’ve got to say, this movie could not have been possible without my co-star, a fresh new talent who came from nowhere and turned out to be a comedy genius. I’m talking about Rudy Giuliani. I mean, who can get more laughs out of one unzipping? Incredible.’

He continued by addressing other scandals faced by the Trump lawyer.

‘Our movie was just the beginning for him. Rudy went on to star in a string of comedy films. Hits like Four Seasons Landscaping, Hair Dye Another Day, and the courtroom drama A Very Public Fart.’

Baron Cohen later made a quip at Trump contesting the results of the 2020 election when he won Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical. 

‘Hold on, Donald Trump is contesting the result. He’s claiming a lot of dead people voted, which is a very rude thing to say about the HFPA,’ he joked.

Jokes: Fey said of the late night host, ‘The Queen’s Gambit is … whatever James Corden was up to in The Prom I guess’

The joke was a reference to controversy of James Corden playing a gay character in the Netflix film despite not being gay

Yikes! Kate Hudson’s efforts in Sia’s Music fell under scrutiny from the duo as appears virtually on Twitter’s livestream of the event

This year’s ceremony, which usually takes place in early January, was pushed back to February 28 as Hollywood continues to adjust to the coronavirus pandemic and new safety guidelines. 

Poehler and Fey returned to host for the fourth time. The comedy duo did the honors in 2013, 2014 and 2015. 

It is the first ever awards show to be broadcast from two separate coasts. 

Netflix smash-hit Emily in Paris found itself as one of the more controversially nominated shows, landing a nomination for best TV series, musical or comedy. The show’s star, Lily Collins, also got a nod for best actress.

Much of the uproar surrounding the nomination stems from the snubbing of Michaela Coel, whose HBO drama I May Destroy You failed to land any nominations.

Deborah Copaken, one of the writers of Emily in Paris, even spoke out to criticize the Hollywood Foreign Press for shunning Coel.

Copaken tweeted that it was ‘just wrong’, and later expanded on her thoughts in an op-ed for the Guardian.

Coast-to-coast: Fey, 50, was broadcasting from New York City’s Rainbow Room, while Poehler, 49, was at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles 

‘Am I excited that Emily in Paris was nominated? Yes. Of course. I’ve never been remotely close to seeing a Golden Globe statue up close, let alone being nominated for one,’ she wrote.

‘But that excitement is now unfortunately tempered by my rage over Coel’s snub. That I May Destroy You did not get one Golden Globe nod is not only wrong, it’s what is wrong with everything.

‘We need art that reflects all of our colors, not just some. But we also need to give awards to shows (and music and films and plays and musicals) that deserve them, no matter the color of the skin of their creators,’ she went on to write.

Last year’s 77th Golden Globes, hosted by Ricky Gervais, averaged 19.2 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched network telecasts of 2020.

GOLDEN GLOBES 2021: THE WINNERS

 MOVIES 

Best Motion Picture, Drama

The Father

Mank

Nomadland – WINNER

Promising Young Woman

The Trial of the Chicago 7

On the road again: Nomadland won the top honor in film Best Motion Picture, Drama

 

Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – WINNER

Hamilton

Music

Palm Springs

The Prom

 

Best Director

Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman

David Fincher – Mank

Regina King – One Night in Miami

Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7

Chloé Zhao – Nomadland – WINNER

Trailblazing: Chloe Zhao became just the second woman to win for directing in 78 years

 

Best Screenplay

Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman

Jack Fincher – Mank

Christopher Hampton, Florian Zeller – The Father

Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7 – WINNER

Chloé Zhao – Nomadland

Best Foreign Language Picture

Another Round

La Llorona

The Life Ahead

Minari – WINNER

Two of Us

 

Best Animated Picture

The Croods: A New Age

Onward

Over the Moon

Soul – WINNER

Wolfwalkers

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Andra Day – The United States vs Billie Holiday – WINNER

Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman

Frances McDormand – Nomadland

Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman

Big moment: Andra Day was the surprise winner in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama category

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama

Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal

Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – WINNER

Anthony Hopkins – The Father

Gary Oldman – Mank

Tahar Rahim – The Mauritanian

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Kate Hudson – Music

Michelle Pfeiffer – French Exit

Rosamund Pike – I Care a Lot – WINNER

Anya Taylor-Joy – Emma

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

Sacha Baron Cohen – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – WINNER

James Corden – The Prom

Lin-Manuel Miranda – Hamilton

Dev Patel – The Personal History of David Copperfield

Andy Samberg – Palm Springs

Winner! Sacha Baron Cohen’s politically-charged sequel Borat Subsequent Moviefilm earned two awards

 

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Glenn Close – Hilbilly Elegy

Jodie Foster – The Mauritanian – WINNER

Olivia Colman – The Father

Amanda Seyfried – Mank

Helena Zengel – News of the World

 

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7

Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah – WINNER

Jared Leto – The Little Things

Bill Murray – On the Rocks

Leslie Odom Jr – One Night in Miami

 

Best Original Score in a Motion Picture

The Midnight Sky

Tenet

News of the World

Mank

Soul – WINNER

 

Best Original Song in a Motion Picture

Judas and the Black Messiah

The Life Ahead – WINNER

One Night in Miami

The Trial of the Chicago 7

The United States vs Billie Holiday

TELEVISION 

Best Television Series, Drama

The Crown – WINNER

Lovecraft Country

The Mandalorian

Ozark

Ratched

Triumphant: The Crown nearly swept all of the dramatic television categories including Best Television Series, Drama as creator Peter Morgan accepted the award

 

Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical

Emily in Paris

The Flight Attendant

The Great

Schitt’s Creek – WINNER

Ted Lasso

 

Best Limited Series, Anthology or TV Movie

Normal People

The Queen’s Gambit – WINNER

Small Axe

The Undoing

Unorthodox

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Drama

Olivia Colman – The Crown

Jodie Comer – Killing Eve

Emma Corrin – The Crown – WINNER

Laura Linney – Ozark

Sarah Paulson – Ratched

Crowning achievement: Emma Corrin beat out her The Crown co-star Olivia Colman (Queen Elizabeth II) in the Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Drama category 

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series, Drama

Jason Bateman – Ozark

Josh O’Connor – The Crown – WINNER

Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul

Al Pacino – Hunters

Matthew Rhys– Perry Mason

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical

Lily Collins – Emily in Paris

Kaley Cuoco – The Flight Attendant

Elle Fanning – The Great

Jane Levy – Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

Catherine O’Hara – Schitt’s Creek – WINNER

Legend: Catherine O’Hara earned the win in the Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical for her role in Schitt’s Creek

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a TV series, Comedy or Musical

Don Cheadle – Black Monday

Nicholas Hoult – The Great

Eugene Levy – Schitt’s Creek

Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso – WINNER

Ramy Youssef – Ramy

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology or TV Movie

Cate Blanchett – Mrs America

Daisy Edgar-Jones – Normal People

Shira Haas – Unorthodox

Nicole Kidman – The Undoing

Anya Taylor-Joy – The Queen’s Gambit – WINNER

Checkmate: It was also a big night for Anya Taylor-Joy as she won Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology or TV Movie for The Queen’s Gambit

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology or TV Movie

Bryan Cranston – Your Honour

Jeff Daniels – The Comey Rule

Hugh Grant – The Undoing

Ethan Hawke – The Good Lord Bird

Mark Ruffalo – I Know This Much Is True – WINNER

 

Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series

Gillian Anderson – The Crown – WINNER

Helena Bonham Carter – The Crown

Julia Garner – Ozark

Annie Murphy – Schitt’s Creek

Cynthia Nixon – Ratched

 

Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series

John Boyega – Small Axe, “Red, White and Blue” – WINNER

Daniel Levy – Schitt’s Creek

Brendan Gleeson – The Comey Rule

Jim Parsons – Hollywood

Donald Sutherland – The Undoing

No axe to grind: The second award of the night went to John Boyega in the Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series category for his role in Small Axe “Red, White and Blue”

 

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Sacha Baron Cohen sarcastically thanks the ‘all-white Hollywood Foreign Press’ before ruthlessly poking fun at Rudy Giuliani AND Donald Trump during Golden Globes acceptance speeches

Sacha Baron Cohen‘s politically-charged sequel Borat Subsequent Moviefilm earned two awards on Sunday night during the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

And the comedian, 49, came out swinging as he sarcastically thanked the ‘all-white’ Hollywood Foreign Press Association during his initial acceptance speech, before ripping into his nemesis – and unsuspecting costar – Rudy Giuliani.

Later on in the show, Cohen joked that former president Donald Trump was ‘contesting’ his ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical’ win.

Winner! Sacha Baron Cohen’s politically-charged sequel Borat Subsequent Moviefilm earned two awards on Sunday night during the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards

Taking digs: And the comedian, 49, came out swinging as he sarcastically thanked the ‘all-white’ Hollywood Foreign Press Association during his initial acceptance speech, before ripping into his nemesis – and unsuspecting costar – Rudy Giuliani

‘Hold on, Donald Trump is contesting the result,’ began Cohen as he pretended to hold a phone to his ear. 

He was joined on screen by his wife of over 10 years, Isla Fisher, who could hardly contain her laughter.

‘He’s claiming that a lot of dead people voted, which is a very rude thing to say about the HFPA,’ Sacha quipped.

Besides his Best Actor in a Comedy nod, Cohen’s highly anticipated Borat sequel also walked away with the Golden Globe for Best Comedy or Musical.

‘Thank you to the all-white Hollywood Foreign Press,’ began the English comedian, who was referencing to the recent uproar around the absence of black journalist in the HFPA. 

This year’s Golden Globes ceremony, which usually takes place in early January, was pushed back to February 28 as Hollywood continues to adjust to the coronavirus pandemic and new safety guidelines. 

Amy Poehler and Tina Fey return to host for the fourth time. The comedy duo did the honors in 2013, 2014 and 2015. 

It is the first ever awards show to be broadcast from two separate coasts. 

Fey, 50, is broadcasting from atop New York City’s Rockefeller Center in the Rainbow Room and Poehler, 49, in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where the ceremony is usually held annually.

Nominees will be tuning into the ceremony remotely but presenters have been asked to appear in person.

The impressive list of presenters this year includes; Awkwafina, Cynthia Erivo, Annie Mumolo, Joaquin Phoenix, Kristen Wiig and Renee Zellweger, Kevin Bacon, Sterling K. Brown, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Margot Robbie, Tiffany Haddish, Anthony Anderson, Kate Hudson and Kenan Thompson.

Satchel and Jackson Lee, children of three-time Golden Globe nominated filmmaker Spike Lee and producer/philanthropist Tonya Lewis Lee, are serving as the 2021 Golden Globe Ambassadors.

Guess who’s back? Besides his Best Actor in a Comedy nod, Cohen’s highly anticipated Borat sequel also walked away with the Golden Globe for Best Comedy or Musical

Thankful: ‘Thank you to the all-white Hollywood Foreign Press,’ began the English comedian, who was referencing to the recent uproar around the absence of black journalist in the HFPA

Jane Fonda, 83, is receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award, an accolade for film. The acting icon has previously won Golden Globes for her roles in Klute, Julia and Coming Home.

Norman Lear will be honored with the Carol Burnett Award, a counterpart to the DeMille Award that focuses on life achievement in television. The writer, director and producer is a six-time Golden Globe winner.

Nominations were announced on February 3 with streaming giant Netflix receiving 42 nominations across film and television.

David Fincher’s Mank lead with six nominations across film, while The Crown also topped the TV categories with the same number of nominations.

Netflix smash-hit Emily in Paris found itself as one of the more controversially nominated shows, landing a nomination for best TV series, musical or comedy. The show’s star, Lily Collins, also got a nod for best actress.

Much of the uproar surrounding the nomination stems from the snubbing of Michaela Coel, whose HBO drama I May Destroy You failed to land any nominations.

Deborah Copaken, one of the writers of Emily in Paris, even spoke out to criticize the Hollywood Foreign Press for shunning Coel.

Copaken tweeted that it was ‘just wrong’, and later expanded on her thoughts in an op-ed for the Guardian.

‘Am I excited that Emily in Paris was nominated? Yes. Of course. I’ve never been remotely close to seeing a Golden Globe statue up close, let alone being nominated for one,’ she wrote.

‘But that excitement is now unfortunately tempered by my rage over Coel’s snub. That I May Destroy You did not get one Golden Globe nod is not only wrong, it’s what is wrong with everything.

‘We need art that reflects all of our colors, not just some. But we also need to give awards to shows (and music and films and plays and musicals) that deserve them, no matter the color of the skin of their creators,’ she went on to write.

Last year’s 77th Golden Globes, hosted by Ricky Gervais, averaged 19.2 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched network telecasts of 2020.