Appearing from opposite coasts at the first-ever socially-distanced Golden Globes, hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler still managed to pull off some solid jokes at Hollywood’s expense Sunday night. And they almost made it look like they were actually in the same room.
“Tina and I are hosting from two different cities, but the technology is so great you will never tell the difference,” Poehler said, promising, “It will be smooth sailing.”
“You won’t even notice,” Fey added, as she “stroked” her comedy partner’s face. “Oh, I have missed you, my love,” she said. “I always knew my career would end with me wandering around the Rainbow Room pretending to talk to Amy, I just thought it would be later.”
Instead of cutting to the nominees in the audience, who were replaced with a limited number of first responders, the show’s director valiantly attempted to show the celebrities reacting from home, which was about as awkward as it sounds.
But the spiciest part of their opening duologue took on the “European weirdos” who make up the 87-person Hollywood Foreign Press Association. As the pair began to roast the shadowy organization for nominating TV shows like Emily in Paris (“French Exit is what I did after watching the first episode of Emily in Paris”) and movie’s like Sia’s Music (“I don’t want to get into it but it’s really problematic and Twitter is saying it’s the most offensive casting since Kate Hudson was the Weight Watchers spokesperson”) they fully addressed the elephant in the room.
“This is probably something we should have told you guys earlier,” Poehler explained. “Everybody is understandably upset with the HFPA and their choices. Look, a lot of flashy garbage got nominated, but that happens. That’s like their thing. But a number of Black actors and Black-led projects were overlooked.”
“Look, we all know award shows are stupid,” Fey added. “But the point is, even with stupid things, inclusivity is important and there are no Black members of the Hollywood Foreign Press.” While they maybe “didn’t get the memo” because their “workplace is the back booth of a French McDonald’s,” she said, “You gotta change that, so here’s to changing it.”
Despite the criticism from the hosts—and from many prominent nominees who shared the “no Black members” fact on social media in the days leading up to the ceremony—the Globes did deliver its first award to Daniel Kaluuya for his performance as Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah. But when he started to make his acceptance speech from home, his sound was off.
When he finally got the chance to speak, he repeated, “You’re doing me dirty” several times before offering up his thank yous and accepting his award.
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