Golden Globes 2021: From Brits dominating to lack of diversity, what happened at the 2021 ceremony

The evening began with biting jokes and ended with a triumph for ‘Nomadland’

Chadwick Boseman's wife gives emotional acceptance speech on behalf of late husband

The 2021 Golden Globes took place semi-virtually on Sunday 28 February, with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosting a modified ceremony owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

Both hosts performed their duties from separate cities, on opposite coasts. Fey was in New York at the Rainbow Room, a famous venue located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (an address also known as 30 Rock, after which Fey’s sitcom was named). Amy Poehler hosted from Los Angeles.

Fey and Poehler were present in person, as were award presenters including Awkwafina, Joaquin Phoenix, Tiffany Haddish, Angela Bassett, and Margot Robbie. Nominees, however, attended remotely, and winners delivered their acceptance speeches via video link.

The ceremony marked a strong night for British performers. Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah) and John Boyega (Small Axe) were among the ceremony’s early winners, taking home the trophies for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture and Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture for TV, respectively.

Emma Corrin took Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama for her uncanny portrayal of Diana in The Crown, while Josh O’Connor won in the men’s category for his part as Prince Charles. The Crown had two more wins: one for the show itself, in the Best Television Series – Drama category, and one for American actor Gillian Anderson, voted Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher.

Read more: Golden Globes 2021 winners: The full list

Rosamund Pike earned the award for Best Actress – Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for her chilling work in I Care a Lot, while Sacha Baron Cohen took home Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his daring role in Borat Subsequent MovieFilm. The film also won Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

Anya Taylor-Joy’s performance in The Queen’s Gambit earned her the trophy for Best Actress In A Mini-Series or Motion Picture for TV. The Queen’s Gambit itself was picked for Best Television Motion Picture.

Ahead of Sunday’s ceremony, Time’s Up took the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (the organisation behind the Golden Globes) to task in a tweet that read, “A cosmetic fix isn’t enough,” next to an image with the words: “Hollywood Foreign Press Association – Not a single Black member out of 87.”

Many high-profile figures spoke out on the issue during the ceremony, from the two hosts to Jane Fonda, Sterling K Brown, Sacha Baron Cohen, and more. The HFPA said it intends to make some changes, echoing a previous statement that read in part: ““We understand that we need to bring in Black members as well as members from other underrepresented backgrounds, and we will immediately work to implement an action plan to achieve these goals as soon as possible.”

Chadwick Boseman posthumously won Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for his work in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. His wife Taylor Simone Ledward delivered a moving acceptance speech on his behalf, saying: “I don’t have his words but we have to take all the moment to celebrate all we love, so thank you, HFPA, for this opportunity to do exactly that.”

Among the high-profile wins of the evening was Chloé Zhao’s success with Nomadland. She became the second woman ever to win the award for Best Director – Motion Picture. The film itself took Best Motion Picture – Drama.

For a full list of winners, you can click here.

Follow the ceremony as it happened with our live blog:

Golden Globes talking points

• Nomadland wins Best Motion Picture – Drama
• Mark Ruffalo’s thank you speech
• Chadwick Boseman wins posthumous award

[28 February 2021 12:27 · Roisin O'Connor]

Hello, and welcome to The Independent’s Golden Globes liveblog 2021!

I’m here to get you up to speed with everything to expect from this evening’s ceremony, before the liveblog is taken over by our film and TV experts who will guide you through the night.

Follow for all the latest news, updates, comment, photos and video.

[28 February 2021 12:30 · Roisin O'Connor]

Speaking of controversy, here’s The Independent’s list of the 5 biggest snubs and surprises from this year’s nominations:

[28 February 2021 12:31 · Roisin O'Connor]

Emily in Paris is one of the most controversial nominations at this year’s awards. While the series proved a hit for streaming service Netflix, it was panned by critics over its unlikeable lead character (played by Lily Collins) and cliched depictions of Paris.

Read our TV critic’s withering take here:

[28 February 2021 12:50 · Roisin O'Connor]

So which TV shows and films are actually vying for awards tonight? Take a look at the full list of nominees:

[28 February 2021 13:09 · Roisin O'Connor]

The Golden Globes organisers vowed to appoint a black judge to their voting panel following controversy over the lack of diversity in the award show’s nominees.

The annual award ceremony takes place on Sunday (28 February), with Amy Poehler and Tina Fey presenting as the year’s biggest films and TV shows compete for the night’s top prizes.

However, the Globes have come under particular fire this year for the lack of diversity in the nominations.

[28 February 2021 13:30 · Roisin O'Connor]

‘The Golden Globes snubbed Michaela Coel and honoured James Corden – do we live in hell?’ Our writer Adam White’s take on one of the most controversial Golden Globes nominations in history is well worth your time.

[28 February 2021 13:49 · Roisin O'Connor]

Our film critic Clarisse Loughrey has gone through her predictions and hopes for the 2021 Golden Globes... who do you think will win?

[28 February 2021 14:10 · Roisin O'Connor]

With a dry, sardonic wit and a longstanding ability to make the truth funny, comedy writer turned movie star Tina Fey is the ideal choice to host a socially distanced awards show, says Rachel Brodsky. Read why:

[28 February 2021 14:31 · Roisin O'Connor]

Former Saturday Night Live star Amy Poehler is poised to host the Golden Globes for the fourth time with her ‘comedy wife’ Tina Fey. Alexandra Pollard charts her path to greatness

[28 February 2021 14:51 · Roisin O'Connor]

The Golden Globes are the “boozy grandmother on the dancefloor” of awards shows: strange and frightening, yet impossible to look away from. The annual ceremony is a looser, sillier Oscars, driven by star power and the presence of an open bar.

Absurdity is baked into it, primarily because everyone knows that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who decide the awards, are composed of just a few dozen people.

But even with that caveat in mind, there are still some wins and nominations in Golden Globes history that are too bizarre to ignore.

Read about them here: