While the ballroom at The Beverly Hilton delivered the usual A-list spectacle, this year’s ceremony came with a few notable shifts: a new “Golden Eve” primetime special in the lead-up, the addition of a podcast category, and a second straight hosting stint from Nikki Glaser that set the tone early.
The big film winners: Hamnet takes drama, One Battle After Another tops comedy
In the top film categories, Hamnet won Best Motion Picture, Drama, positioning it as one of the early prestige frontrunners for the months ahead.
On the musical or comedy side, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another landed Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, and finished the night with multiple headline moments on and off stage.
Acting prizes were spread across a wide field, but two wins drew particular attention: Timothée Chalamet’s Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) win for Marty Supreme, and Jessie Buckley’s Best Actress (Drama) win for Hamnet, adding momentum to both projects as the race moves on to the BAFTAs and Oscars.
TV’s headline: Adolescence dominates, with buzzy wins across categories
Television prizes leaned heavily towards Adolescence, which emerged as the evening’s biggest small-screen success story, taking home four awards.
The wins also reinforced a wider trend the Globes leaned into this year: celebrating projects that sit in the overlap between prestige television and global streaming reach, with multiple series and performances turning into next-day talking points beyond the winners list.
Nikki Glaser’s sharp return and the night’s most quoted moments
Glaser’s comeback as host proved to be one of the clearest talking points of the night, with her opening monologue quickly circulating for jokes that skewered Hollywood power, media and the sheer absurdity of awards-season spectacle.
From there, the show’s most replayed moments came fast: emotional acceptance speeches, genuinely surprised reactions in the room, and a string of gags that leaned into the Globes’ reputation as the loosest, most unpredictable stop on the awards circuit.
A new Golden Globes lane: podcasts enter the chat
The Globes formally expanded into podcasting for the first time, awarding Best Podcast to Good Hang With Amy Poehler.
The move reflects how podcasting has become a major entertainment lane in its own right, with awards bodies increasingly treating the medium as part of the same mainstream ecosystem as film and television.
London stage crossover: Globe nominees heading back to Theatreland
One of the more interesting side narratives came from the red carpet’s overlap with London theatre. Several nominees with stage runs ahead were highlighted in post-show coverage, including Cynthia Erivo and Paul Mescal, both expected back on the London stage in 2026.
For theatre fans, it was a reminder that awards-season visibility often spills into live performance buzz, especially when Globes’ attention lands on actors who regularly move between screen and stage.
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