Here Are the Most Awkward Moments From the 2023 Golden Globe Awards

Christen A. Johnson
·3 min read

The 2023 Golden Globes were full of celebs giving us a bunch of ~lewks~ (and flops), moving speeches, and of course, moments that had us all cringing and gritting our teeth. I mean, what’s an awards show without ’em? So in case you missed it, here’s a list of all the awkward moments that took place. Buckle up.

Host Jerrod Carmichael’s opening monologue

Okay, Jerrod’s monologue was SO funny, but, like, the scattered chuckles in the (mostly white) room proved that his colleagues didn’t know whether or not it was appropriate to laugh at the jokes. Which, fair. I can accept that apprehension—the last thing a white Hollywood star wants to do, especially at an awards show embroiled in racially exclusive controversy, is laugh too hard at a race joke. But it was awkward. Not for me though. I was cackling. But maybe for Brad Pitt and several others.

Austin Butler being asked about Jacob Elordi, his girlfriend’s ex

During the red carpet arrivals, Austin—who won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Motion Picture for his titular role in Elvis—was asked his thoughts on Jacob also playing Elvis in an upcoming movie.

Of course, Austin kept it classy. “I just wish him all the best,” he said to Variety, per Us Weekly. “We haven’t spoken, but I hope he has a great time.”

FWIW, Jacob and Kaia Gerber dated for more than a year and ended things in November 2021. About a month or so later, Kaia and Austin started dating and are still going strong.

Eddie Murphy’s Will Smith Oscars reference in his acceptance speech

When accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award, an extremely high honor given to entertaining legends, Eddie said, “There is a definitive blueprint you can follow to achieve success, prosperity, and peace of mind. There’s a blueprint and I’ve followed it my whole career: Pay your taxes, mind your business, and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out of your f–king mouth!” he said, referring to The Slap Heard Round The World, aka the infamous moment at the 2022 Oscars when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock.

Okay, admittedly, there was nothing awkward about this—it was hilarious, perfectly timed, a reminder of why Eddie Murphy is one of the greatest comedians of all time. Eh, on second thought, I guess it’s awkward if you’re Will Smith watching at home. Welp!

Overall, the night definitely didn’t have any Will-Smith-Oscar-type moments, so I’d say even with the splotches of awkwardness, all was mostly well!

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