Golden Globes 2024: Host Jo Koy sparks outrage as he mocks the ‘rich, white and dysfunctional’ Royal Family and quips Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were ‘paid millions for doing absolutely nothing’ in ‘woke’ rant
The 2024 Golden Globes have sparked outrage by taking aim at the Royal Family, with host Jon Koy raising eyebrows with his savage rant in Sunday’s ceremony.
The comedian took aim at King Charles in his opening monologue by branding the family ‘rich, white and dysfunctional,’ before quipping that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are paid ‘millions for doing absolutely nothing.’
Referencing Golden Globes favourite The Crown, Jon compared the series to the HBO drama Succession, telling the audience: ‘Succession has nine nominations. Just a great series about a rich, white, dysfunctional family, all scheming – oh, wait, that’s The Crown. I’m sorry.’
The final season of The Crown has been slammed for the ‘tasteless’ decision to feature Princess Diana’s ghost appearing in front of her ex-husband Prince Charles and the late Queen.
Latter series of the drama have come under fire for historical inaccuracies, leading Netflix to start prefacing the show with a disclaimer saying: ‘Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatisation tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign.’
The 2024 Golden Globes have sparked outrage by taking aim at the Royal Family , with host Jon Koy raising eyebrows with his savage rant in Sunday’s ceremony
The comedian took aim at King Charles in his opening monologue by branding the family ‘rich, white and dysfunctional’
Buckingham Palace has refused to comment on the series, which has attracted both commercial success but also criticism for its historical inaccuracies and fictional liberties.
However, royal insiders suggested the latest instalment would likely be considered in poor taste, particularly as ‘deeply painful memories for members of the family are reduced to sensationalism’.
Jon went onto take aim at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and their oft-criticised Netflix docuseries.
The streaming service reportedly paid £88 million ($100million) for the couple’s 2022 docuseries as part of a multi-year deal with the streaming giant.
Referencing Harry and Meghan’s working habits, Jon quipped: ‘Harry and Meghan Markle got paid millions for doing absolutely nothing – and that’s just by Netflix.’
The joke sparked a visible reaction from Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, who laughed at the quip.
Harry and Meghan’s Netflix series sparked a slew of backlash when it hit Netflix in December 2022, after it unleashed a series of incendiary claims labelling Britain a ‘racist’ country.
In one segment, Harry says the Royal Family has ‘unconscious bias’, and is ‘part of the problem’ when it comes to racism in Britain.
Jon went onto take aim at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and their oft-criticised Netflix docuseries, by quipping they get paid ‘millions of pounds for doing absolutely nothing’
Lengthy segments were also given to academics Afua Hirsch and David Olusoga who say British tradition is ‘filled with racist imagery’ while discussing the country’s colonial legacy – and call anti-immigration sentiment in the UK a ‘cipher for race’.
Even the UK’s departure from the EU was dragged into the fray, as Harry says the series is not ‘just about our story’, adding: ‘This has always been much bigger than us’, amid the back drop of a Brexit protest followed by former-PM Boris Johnson vowing to ‘take back control of this country.’
The visuals point to racism being a key factor behind the Brexit vote and suggest the wider political climate was hostile to Meghan becoming a royal.
In the same episode, Meghan told interviewers she felt a shift in treatment after moving to the UK.
‘At that time, I wasn’t thinking about how race played a part in any of this,’ she said. ‘I genuinely didn’t think about it.
‘It’s very different to be a minority but not be treated as a minority right off the bat…I’d say now, people are very aware of my race because they made it such an issue when I went to the UK.
‘But before that, most people didn’t treat me like a ”black woman.” So that talk didn’t happen for me.’
In the third episode, the Sussexes charte their relationship with the media from the announcement of their engagement in 2017 right up until the day before their wedding in May 2018.
It touched on Britain’s ‘racist past’ and various scandals to have hit the firm in recent years – including Princess Michael of Kent’s ‘Blackamoor-style’ brooch and Harry’s Nazi uniform furore.
Emma Stone triumphed as she earned Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Poor Things and also led the film to top honor Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the 81st Golden Globes on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Succession nearly swept the board, Oppenheimer also won big, and Barbie beat out Taylor Swift in a new category at the celebrity-filled awards bash.
Stone, 35, first received a standing ovation as she won over Alma Pöysti – Fallen Leaves, Fantasia Barrino – The Color Purple (2023), Jennifer Lawrence – No Hard Feelings, Margot Robbie – Barbie, and Natalie Portman – May December.
Emma was gracious as she hit the stage and even thanked her husband Dave McCrary first as she said: ‘Thank you. Oh, boy. Thank you very much. This is amazing. Thank you. Dave, I have to start with you really quickly. I love you so much. Thank you for everything.’
She went on to thank her co-stars in the film Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, and Ramy Youssef.
Emma said: ‘Willem, Mark, Ramy, he made every day a joy and so did our credible cast oh, my god, there’s only 18 seconds left. The crew, incredible. Tony, this is our third time working together. Tony [McNamara], our writer. I love getting to say this dialogue, and I love getting to horrify you with my Australian accent. You’re the best, Tony. [Australian accent] I’m working on it all the time.
‘Yorgos, I don’t know what I could say to you that I haven’t set already, that I will forever be grateful that we met, forever. And playing Bella was unbelievable.’
As the genre of the film was questioned, Emma gave her answer to what she believed it to be in her speech.
She continued: ‘I think this is a rom-com. I see this as a rom-com, but in the sense that Bella falls in love with life itself, rather than a person, and she accepts the good and the bad in equal measure, and that really made me look at life differently.
‘Not all of it counts, and all of it is important. She has stayed with me deeply. So this means the world to me. Thank you so much, and, okay, bye. Thank you.’
In Poor Things she portrays Bella Baxter/Victoria Blessington who is a woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist, Dr. Godwin Baxter (played by Willem Dafoe).
The film later earned top honor Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy beating out Air, American Fiction, Barbie, The Holdovers, and May December.
Barbie won in a new category as the blockbuster film triumphed in Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.
It won out over Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, John Wick: Chapter 4, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1, Oppenheimer, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Margot Robbie accepted the honor on behalf of the cast and crew as she said: ‘Thank you. We would like to dedicate this to every single person on the planet who dressed up and went to the greatest place on Earth, the movie theaters. Thank you, and thank you to everybody, all the Barbies and Kens in front of and behind the screen.
‘It was the greatest most joyful show of craftsmanship and passion I’ve ever seen. And on behalf of Tom and David and Robbie and I, we want to thank the brave individuals at Warner and Mattel for taking an extraordinary risk in literally inventing numbers to justify green lighting this, and then standing by at every step of the way.
‘Thank you to Noah Baumbach for showing his inner Barbie girl. Thank you to Ryan gosling for going full beach. And America Ferrera for showing her soul. ‘
Margot concluded her speech by thanking the award show for creating the new category which recognizes a film with ‘a box office receipt total/gross of $150 million, of which $100 million must come from the U.S. domestic box office, and/or obtain commensurate digital streaming viewership recognized by trusted industry sources’ according to the Golden Globes.
She said: ‘Last but not least, thank you so much to the Golden Globes for creating an award that celebrates movie fans. This is a movie about Barbie, but it’s also a movie about humans. We made it — it’s about you. We made it for you, and we made it with love. Thank you for loving it back.’
The fantasy comedy features Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken as they embark on a journey of self-discovery following an existential crisis.
Emma Stone triumphed as she earned Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Poor Things at the 81st Golden Globes on Sunday
Oppenheimer (Producer Emma Thomas is pictured left) and Succession (Showrunner Jesse Armstrong is pictured right) were also among the biggest winners of the night
Barbie beat out Taylor Swift in a new category Cinematic and Box Office Achievement as Margot Robbie accepted the honor
The 35-year-old actress received a standing ovation as she won over Alma Pöysti – Fallen Leaves, Fantasia Barrino – The Color Purple (2023), Jennifer Lawrence – No Hard Feelings, Margot Robbie – Barbie, and Natalie Portman – May December
In Poor Things she portrays Bella Baxter/Victoria Blessington who is a woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist, Dr. Godwin Baxter (played by Willam Dafoe)
Oppenheimer was among the biggest winners of the night as the film earned Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director for Christopher Nolan, and two coveted acting awards for leading man Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr.
The film beat out Anatomy of a Fall, Killers Of The Flower Moon, Maestro, Past Lives, and The Zone of Interest to earn the top prize of the night.
Oppenheimer is the story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.
Earlier in the night leading man Cillian Murphy won Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for his titular role.
He beat out a very impressive field including: Andrew Scott – All of Us Strangers, Barry Keoghan – Saltburn, Bradley Cooper – Maestro, Colman Domingo – Rustin, and Leonardo DiCaprio – Killers of the Flower Moon.
Cillian began his acceptance speech with a very important question as he said: ‘Oh, boy. First question, do I have lipstick all over my nose? I’m just going to leave it.’
He started out his speech with praise for the director Christopher Nolan whom he has worked with a few times previously including Batman Begins, Dunkirk, and Inception.
The Irish actor continued: ‘I knew the first time I walked on a Christopher Nolan set that it was different. I could tell by the level of rigor, the level of focus, the level of dedication, the complete lack of any seating options for actors. [Laughter] That I was in the hands of the visionary director and master. I want to thank Chris and Emma for having the faith in me for 20 years. Thanks so much. One of the most beautiful and vulnerable things about being an actor is that you can’t do it on your own, really. ‘
Robert Downey Jr. took home the second win of the night in the Male Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture category for Oppenheimer.
The 58-year-old actor began his acceptance speech with a joke at the podium as he said: ‘Yeah, yeah. I took a beta blocker, so this is going to be a breeze.’
‘A sweeping story about the ethical dilemma of nuclear weapons grosses $1 billion. Does that track? No. Unless, and but, because, universal went all in on Christopher Nolan to direct Cillian Murphy, with Emma Thomas producing, with Emily and Florence and this cast and crew, and helped them render a goddamn masterpiece. See, that’s not such a leap.
‘Dozens of folks have come up to me since the summertime saying that I was “An recognizably subtle” as Lewis Strauss. To my fellow nominees, let’s not pretend this is a compliment. This is a first time, it’s more of a most improved player thing. For my dueling career counsels, they had the gall to say I needed to restart my career. It is self improving agents right. Speaking of motivators, my primary caregiver right there, Susan Downey, she has literally made an art out of extracting me from my comfort Zones, that I need to feel safe! But she’s easy on the eyes, so whatevs.
Downey Jr. finished off his speech by making reference to the controversy surrounding the award show in recent years.
He concluded: ‘Lastly, golden globes journalists, thanks for changing your game, therefore changing your name. Salute.’
The A-lister triumphed over Charles Melton – May December, Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things, Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon, Ryan Gosling – Barbie, and Willem Dafoe – Poor Things.
In Oppenheimer Downey Jr portrays as Rear Admiral Lewis Strauss, a retired Naval officer and high-ranking member of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC).
Christopher Nolan earned Best Director – Motion Picture for the epic film beating out Bradley Cooper – Maestro, Celine Song – Past Lives, Greta Gerwig – Barbie, and Martin Scorsese – Killers Of The Flower Moon.
Meanwhile Succession nearly swept the television drama categories including Best Television Series – Drama and individual honors for Sarah Snook, Matthew Macfadyen, and Kieren Culkin.
Matthew Macfadyen was the first person in the Succession cast to earn a Golden Globe on Sunday evening.
The film later earned top honor Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy beating out Air, American Fiction, Barbie, The Holdovers, and May December as director Yorgos Lanthimos accepted the honor
Barbie won in a new category as the blockbuster film triumphed in Cinematic and Box Office Achievement
It won out over Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, John Wick: Chapter 4, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1, Oppenheimer, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Margot Robbie accepted the honor on behalf of the cast and crew as she said: ‘Thank you. We would like to dedicate this to every single person on the planet who dressed up and went to the greatest place on Earth, the movie theaters. Thank you, and thank you to everybody, all the Barbies and Kens in front of and behind the screen’
Taylor Swift led the standing ovation as Barbie was announced as the winner
Robert Downey Jr. took home the second win of the night in the Male Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture category for Oppenheimer
The 58-year-old actor began his acceptance speech with a joke at the podium as he said: ‘Yeah, yeah. I took a beta blocker, so this is going to be a breeze’
In Oppenheimer Downey Jr portrays as Rear Admiral Lewis Strauss, a retired Naval officer and high-ranking member of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
Meanwhile Succession nearly swept the television drama categories including Best Television Series – Drama and individual honors for Matthew Macfadyen, Sarah Snook, and Kieren Culkin (pictured left to right)
Matthew was the first person in the Succession cast to earn a Golden Globe on Sunday evening
His character Tom Wambsgans is the power hungry husband to Shiv Roy, who enjoys the power that comes with being married into the media mogul family, and runs conservative news network ATN
The 49-year-old British actor beat out two of his castmates on the highly-popular HBO series to win Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television.
During his acceptance speech he said: ‘Thank you so much. Thank you so much. I just adored every second playing the weird and wonderful human grease stain that is Tom Wambsgans. Tom Wambsgans, CEO, I should say. God help us.
‘My love and thanks and admiration to Jesse Armstrong, as always. And to all Eric’s ordinary writers. I’m too scared to name them all, because I’ll forget someone and I want sleep. To Adam Mckay, Francie mazelike, HBO, wonderful directors and producers, and of course are gorgeous crew and cast who I miss very much. Thank you.’
This was Matthew’s first ever nomination and win at the Golden Globes as he was recognized for his work as Tom Wambsgans.
His character is the power hungry husband to Shiv Roy, who enjoys the power that comes with being married into the media mogul family, and runs conservative news network ATN.
Matthew beat out some familiar faces in castmates Alan Ruck and Alexander Skarsgård in addition to Billy Crudup – The Morning Show, Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Bear, and James Marsden – Jury Duty.
Later on in the evening it was Kieran Culkin who earned Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Drama.