Golden Globe Awards: Tom Cruise and Will Smith Weren’t There But Still Got Roasted

The Golden Globes came back with a bang on Tuesday, as the champagne flowed and A-list celebrities broke the sobriety in an evening where backslapping and honesty were balanced with sharp humor.

Here are some more memorable moments from the 80th edition of the awards held at the Beverly Hilton.

Regarding racism.
After a couple of years at loggerheads with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association over allegations of racism and corruption, the organizers of the Golden Globes were hoping to redeem themselves this year.

But her chosen host, comedian Jerrod Carmichael, wasn’t about to give her an easy ride, swinging on the HFPA’s longstanding lack of diversity.

“I’ll tell you why I’m here. I’m here because I’m black,” he said.

Jerrod Carmichael said he was taken aback when he was offered the hosting gig by producer Stephen Hill, who is also Black.

“One minute you’re making mint tea at home; the next moment, you’re invited to be the black face of an embattled white outfit. Life comes at you fast.”

But the paycheck made it hard to turn down, he joked, recalling a conversation with a friend.

“She said, ‘Jerrod, that’s enough. How much are they paying you?’ I said, ‘$500,000.’ He said, ‘Boy, if you don’t wear a nice suit and take them white people’s money…'”

– Don’t play it again –
As always, the celebs demonstrated that there are few things they love more than the sound of their own voices, with almost every speech testing its allotted time frame.

The entire show, which should have been a tight three hours, ended up being over 20 minutes, thanks in no small part to award recipients who just wouldn’t take the hint.

The producers tried to play him along to piano music as he ran through his list of thanks to agents, managers, parents and assorted hangers-ons.

While many were just talking, Michelle Yeoh, who won for a star turn in “Everything Everywhere at Once,” which included busting out some martial arts moves, was having none of it.

“Please be quiet,” she said, feigning danger. “I can beat you. This is serious.”

– Will Smith –
He wasn’t there, and probably won’t be at any awards ceremony so soon after he killed Chris Rock at the Oscars last year, but Will Smith provided the biggest laugh of the night.

Will Smith, who attacked Rock for making sarcastic remarks about his wife’s shaved head, was the butt of a joke by Jerrod Carmichael.

“While we were on commercial, we actually presented Will Smith with the Rock Hudson Award for Best Portrayal of Masculinity on Television,” he said.

But for the Lifetime Achievement Cecil B. DeMille Award recipient Eddie Murphy steals the show with a wonderful slow airing to Smith’s dismay.

“There is a definite blueprint you can follow to achieve success, prosperity, longevity and peace of mind,” he said.

“Three things to do: Pay your taxes, mind your business and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.”

,Invisible,
Producer Ryan Murphy, who was honored for his stellar performances in television and film, used his acceptance speech to highlight marginalized people in the entertainment industry.

Ryan Murphy, the creative force behind “Nip/Tuck” and “Glee,” began his speech with a tribute to MJ Rodriguez, “to erect” The star who won a Globe at last year’s televised ceremony.

“In doing so, MJ … becomes the first trans actress to win a Golden Globe,” she said, asking the audience to give her a standing ovation, which she lost in 2022. He happily agreed.

She also name-checked LGBTQ actors Billy Porter, Niecy Nash, Matt Bomer and Jeremy Pope, people she said represent “examples of the potential” for those marginalized in society.

He said of his career, “My mission was to take invisible, disaffected people and make them the heroes I wanted to see but never did in pop culture.”

– Tom Cruise –
Will Smith wasn’t the only absentee who got roasting, with host Jarrod Carmichael also taking aim at Tom Cruise, who publicly declined the Golden Globes after the HFPA put him through the ringer, with three of his appearances in 2021 Gave back the gong.

Coming back from a commercial break, the comic stormed onto the stage holding three globes.

“Hey guys, I found this backstage,” he told the audience. “(The) three Golden Globe Awards returned by Tom Cruise.

“Maybe we can take these three things and turn them around for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige.”

Shelly Miscavige, who reportedly hasn’t been seen in public for several years, is the wife of David Miscavige, leader of the Scientology Church, of which Tom Cruise is a prominent member.