Golden Globes 2026: The Big Wins, Sharpest Speeches, and Surprise Turns

The 83rd Annual Golden Globes kicked off awards season Sunday night with big wins, surprises, and a new podcast category.

Comedian Nikki Glaser returned as host, keeping the pace brisk and the room mostly in good spirits. When it came time to hand out trophies, two projects led the field.

Here’s what happened and what it means for the race ahead.

One Battle After Another Turns Momentum Into Trophies

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another delivered a major haul:

• Best Picture, Musical or Comedy

• Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

• Best Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson

• Best Supporting Female Actor in a Motion Picture: Teyana Taylor

That’s a sweep with real weight, elevating it to frontrunner status.

Taylor’s win was one of the night’s most widely discussed moments, pushing her into the center of the supporting actress conversation going forward.

Anderson gave one of the night’s more memorable speeches. Accepting the screenplay award, he joked about borrowing great lines from the writers and artists around him, framing it as part of the job. It was funny, thoughtful, and completely in character.

Hamnet Secures Top Drama Win and a Major Acting Trophy

While One Battle After Another dominated comedy, Hamnet claimed key drama prizes:

• Best Picture, Drama

• Best Female Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama: Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)

Together, those wins give Hamnet exactly what it needs right now: legitimacy, momentum, and a clean headline that travels.

Even without leading the trophy count, a Best Picture, Drama win can reframe the field and elevate a film’s standing overnight.

Adolescence Sweeps the Limited Series Categories

The Netflix limited series swept every limited series category it was nominated for:

• Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or Television Motion Picture

• Best Male Actor, Limited Series: Stephen Graham (Adolescence)

• Best Female Supporting Actor, Television: Erin Doherty (Adolescence)

• Best Supporting Male Actor, Television: Owen Cooper (Adolescence)

Cooper, 16, delivered one of the night’s most memorable moments. Accepting his award, he described himself as “still very much an apprentice,” and it landed because it felt genuine. He also spoke about taking a chance on drama classes and sticking with it, which made the win feel like a breakthrough story as much as a performance prize.

The Pitt and The Studio Step Into the Spotlight

HBO’s The Pitt had a strong showing in the drama categories:

• Best Drama Series: The Pitt

• Best Male Actor in a Television Series, Drama: Noah Wyle (The Pitt)

In the press room, Wyle said the series was designed to put the spotlight back on first responders and what they have been through over the past few years. He also mentioned having a “lovely reunion” with George Clooney over the weekend, a comment that was enough to stir real nostalgia for anyone who remembers the peak ER era as a weekly appointment.

Seth Rogen’s The Studio did the same on the comedy side:

• Best Musical or Comedy Series: The Studio

• Best Male Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy: Seth Rogen (The Studio)

It was a strong night for a show that is essentially Hollywood poking fun at itself, a theme the Golden Globes have always embraced.

The First Podcast Globe Goes to Amy Poehler

One of the more notable shifts this year was the Golden Globes expanding into podcasting for the first time, and the inaugural win went to a familiar awards-season favorite:

• Best Podcast: Good Hang With Amy Poehler

Poehler called it “very cool” to see podcasting recognized alongside film and television. Adding the category is a clear signal that the Globes are paying attention to where audiences spend their time now and to the creators shaping pop culture beyond traditional screens.

KPop Demon Hunters Lands Two Wins and a Crowd-Pleaser Speech

Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters had a quietly impressive run, picking up two awards over the course of the night:

• Best Animated Motion Picture: KPop Demon Hunters

• Best Song, Motion Picture: “Golden” (KPop Demon Hunters)

The emotional high point came after the song win, when the singers behind “Golden” spoke about self-acceptance and encouraged young Asian American fans to embrace who they are. In a show built around competition and rankings, it was one of the night’s most sincere and generous messages.

Top Unscripted Moments

The Golden Globes are never only about the awards:

Nikki Glaser’s Spinal Tap Tribute

As the night wound down and the room started to loosen up, she stepped out in a Spinal Tap hat and let the tribute to the late Rob Reiner play like a final beat that everyone understood at once. When she dropped the line, “this one went to 11,” it got the kind of laugh that comes with recognition, then that half-second of quiet where the joke turns into something else. It was classic Globes, a wink, a punchline, and a genuine moment in the same breath.

Rose Byrne’s Reptile Expo Reveal

Rose Byrne’s win speech was already heading into charming and slightly frazzled territory, the way it often does when someone is still surprised to be holding the trophy. Then she casually mentioned why Bobby Cannavale wasn’t there. Not filming, not sick, not “working.” A reptile expo in New Jersey. You could almost feel the room recalibrate as people processed it, then the laughter hit in waves. It was absurd on paper, but the more she explained it, the more it sounded like something that absolutely happens in real family life. A Golden Globes punchline with strong “married with kids” logic.

Duke McCloud’s Red Carpet Moment

The red carpet has a way of rewarding confidence, and Duke McCloud showed up with it in full supply. In a tailored blue suit and dress shoes, he didn’t shuffle through photos like a kid being dragged along. He planted his feet, faced the cameras, and hit his pose like he knew exactly where the light was. It was over in seconds, but it was the kind of moment photographers love, a quick jolt of joy in between the usual parade of practiced smiles. By the time he moved on, you could already tell he’d be the clip people shared the next morning.

Where the Race Goes From Here

Golden Globe wins set the early narrative, and this year’s is already taking shape.

One Battle After Another leaves with prestige and momentum from Paul Thomas Anderson’s big night and Teyana Taylor’s win. On television, Adolescence swept, and that dominance tends to carry through the season.

Hamnet walked away with the trophy that matters most: Best Picture, Drama.

The race now shifts to screenings, campaigning, and consensus-building. The question is: who can maintain attention and peak at the right moment?

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