When it comes to live television, anything goes.
We’ve already seen these unexpected moments from the Golden Globes in the past. But nothing could quite compare to the mess that was 2021’s semi-virtual version.
From lots of technical issues to mispronunciation to performances being called out while the stars were watching, here are 10+ awkward moments from the 2021 Golden Globes.
1. The awkward pauses in the pre-show interviews.
Since most of the show was done semi-virtually, this caused a slight delay whenever a host would ask someone else a question to those on Zoom.
This made the conversations choppy and super awkward.
2. When Kaley Cuoco poked fun at her Golden Globes loss.
The Flight Attendant star was so excited to receive her first Golden Globes nomination .
So obviously, she had to poke fun at her loss with this hilariously awkward Instagram post.
3. Anytime *Emily In Paris* was criticized.
Co-host Tina Fey made it more than clear that she wasn’t a fan of the Netflix show.
She joked that Michelle Pfeiffer’s French Exit was what she did after watching one episode of the show. The camera then cut the show’s star, Lily Collins, smiling awkwardly.
4. When Tracy Morgan mispronounced *Soul*.
He ended up pronouncing it as “Sal” while announcing the winner for Best Original Movie Score. He’s since apologized .
He wasn’t alone with the mishap, as Susan Kelechi Watson introduced the show as the “Golden Gobes.”
5. When hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler called out the issues with *Music* while Kate Hudson was watching.
While the ladies weren’t as insulting as Ricky Gervais, they did get a few jabs in there.
In this case, Music was an easy target AND a deserved one.
The film, created and directed by singer Sia, has been heavily criticized for misrepresenting autism.
Sia was also criticized for casting Maddie Ziegler in the role as Music, the young girl with autism who falls under Kate Hudson’s character’s care.
6. When technical difficulties silenced Daniel Kaluuya’s acceptance speech.
Instead of trying to wait and give Daniel his moment, it appeared that the presenter, Laura Dern, was told to move on.
“We apologize for that technical problem and send all of our congratulations to Daniel on his Golden Globe win.”
When the *Judas and the Black Messiah* star could finally be heard, he said, “you did me dirty!” several times.
Thankfully, he was able to carry on with his speech for Best Supporting Actor once the issues were fixed.
This ended up being TERRIBLE timing for the actor to be silenced since Tina Fey and Amy Poehler had just called out the Golden Globes for their lack of diversity.
That’s because there is not a single Black member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association .
7. When Tina Fey mocked James Corden’s performance in *The Prom*.
“The Queen’s Gambit is whatever James Corden was up to in The Prom, I guess,” Fey said in the show’s opener, despite the fact that he was nominated.
For those who don’t quite understand the joke, here’s some backstory.
The straight comedian plays an ailing gay Broadway star in the Netflix musical.
His performance has been torn apart by critics who say that he leaned too far into gay stereotypes.
8. When Tina Fey called out celebs.
Instead of celebs being in the audience, this year the Golden Globes decided to do things a little differently.
They extended an invitation to a number of masked first responders, as well as essential front-line workers.
Fey used this moment to make a jab at her fellow celebs:
“We are so grateful for the work that you do and that you are here so that the celebrities can stay safely at home,” she joked with the audience.
9. When Catharine O’Hara’s husband kept playing walk-off music during her speech.
That sound is the LAST thing an actor wants to hear when they are accepting an award.
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While this was supposed to be a joke, no one was really laughing.
10. When Jeff Daniels wore flannel to the awards.
With celebs attending the awards at home, we guess you could say that anything goes!
Instead of donning a tux like the other male nominees, The Comey Rule nominee Jeff Flaniels went casual in flannel. Is it bad that we admire him?
11. When Viola Davis made this face during the show.
Yikes! Someone wasn’t happy. Perhaps, it’s because she didn’t win her Golden Globe nomination? Or she simply forgot that she was on camera?
Either way, her face there is a WHOLE MOOD and after the mess that was the show, we’re here for it.
12. ANY of the technical difficulties.
Unfortunately, there were a lot of them. It made the whole thing super awkward, but also super comforting in a sense.
That’s because we can all sleep better at night knowing that celebs have awkward Zoom calls like the rest of us.
13. When Jason Sudeikis rambled on during his acceptance speech.
The Ted Lasso award winner had Twitter thinking that he was high during his speech.
That’s because he was alllll over the place. He said “that’s nuts!” three times and then quoted one of his son’s favorite books.
This awkward moment even had Don Cheadle motioning for Jason to “wrap it up!”
Viewers were also puzzled by Jason’s tie-dye sweatshirt.
This led fans to wonder if he’s doing well since splitting with wife, Olivia Wilde .
14. Speaking of Jason, he also had this awkward moment during Norman Lear’s speech.
He was shown mouthing, “he’s 99? wow,” while the famous writer was speaking.
Turns out, he’s 98, not 99. Get your facts straight, Jason!
15. When Diane Warren couldn’t figure out the mute button during her acceptance speech.
I think we’ve all done this at one point or another over the past year. I’m certainly not an expert when it comes to the intricacies of Zoom calls — so I can totally relate.
16. The fact that the actors clearly couldn’t hear the walk-off music.
I was wondering why so many stars just kept droning on and threw caution to the wind when it came to their acceptance speeches.
That being said, it probably would’ve sounded eerily quiet had they forgone the music entirely.
17. Amy Poehler’s Quinten Tarantino joke.
Amy and Tina joked that the front table was normally reserved for the most boisterous celebrities. And that normally at this time, Quinten Tarantino would be crawling underneath tables trying to touch people’s feet.
It did not go over well.
18. Kemp Powers’ glitchy picture-in-picture acceptance speech for *Soul*.
After co-director Pete Docter finished giving his acceptance speech, it came time for Kemp Powers to do the same.
Only Kemp didn’t have his own video feed. He was giving his speech through a separate mobile feed that Pete held up to the camera.
This created an incredibly annoying echo for Kemp’s entire speech.
Have you had the radio on when a listener calls-in to the station? All of a sudden you get this high-pitched echoing feedback that comes as a result of crossing the feeds.
The entire speech had most audience members covering their ears.
20. Mark Ruffalo’s impassioned speech about protecting Mother Earth.
Mark’s speech was a call to action. He impressed upon the audience that now was the time for positive change, that our planet was dying and that our Earth Mother needed us now more than ever.
Unfortunately, his feed began cutting out just as Mark was coming to the climax of his speech.
21. Al Pacino falling asleep on live TV.
Awards shows take a lot out of you, and Al Pacino is no longer a Spring chicken, so they say.
It’s understandable that he might choose to rest his eyes in the comfort of his own home. I know I’d probably do the same.
