Golden Globes 2024 best and worst moments: ‘Suck it, Pedro!’

The booziest awards show is here.

The 2024 Golden Globes aired Sunday, Jan. 7 on CBS at 8 p.m. EST. 

After much drama in the past — which resulted in the trainwreck 2022 ceremony getting pulled from broadcast, due to the controversies around parent organization the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — the ceremony returned.

It was a star-studded night, with Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lawrence, Taylor Swift, Ben Affleck, Margot Robbie and Issa Rae in attendance, among others.

The 81st Golden Globes had a lesser-known host, comedian Jo Koy, since more famous comedians like Chris Rock reportedly turned the gig down. 

“Succession,” “The Bear,” and “Beef” got the most love in TV, while “Oppenheimer” took home a slew of trophies in movies — including awards for director Christopher Nolan, stars Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr, and “best motion picture – drama.”

Here are all the best and worst moments from the 2024 Golden Globes.

Worst: Jo Koy’s opening monologue

Host Jo Koy had some scattered funny lines in his opening. For instance, he said that “Oppenheimer” answered a longtime question for him: “Yes, scientists do get laid, as long as they look like Cillian Murphy.” However, Koy also had several painfully unfunny jokes, such as “Barbie” being about “a plastic doll with big boobies,” and a weird moment in which he asked where “Saltburn” star Barry Keoghan’s penis was sitting (and implied it was on Bradley Cooper’s face, serving as the actor’s fake nose in “Maestro“). Whenever the crowd didn’t respond well, Koy awkwardly drew attention to the moment, berating the crowd of A-listers. “Yo, I got the gig 10 days ago,” the comic said. “You want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up. I wrote some of these, and those are the ones you’re gonna laugh at.” Blaming other people for his flubs — and scolding the most famous people in the world for not laughing — was certainly a bold choice.

Best: Robert Downey Jr.’s acceptance speech

Robert Downey Jr., who won the “best performance by a male actor in a supporting role in any motion picture” trophy for his role in “Oppenheimer,” gave a snappy, amusing speech. It proved that his reputation for quips doesn’t just come from his Marvel character, Tony Stark, but carries over into real life. “I took a beta blocker, so this is going to be a breeze,” he began. He proceeded to ask about the Christopher Nolan movie: “A sweeping story about the ethical dilemma of nuclear weapons gets a billion dollars. Does that track?” He got the most laughs when he said, “Dozens of folks came up to me since the summertime saying I was ‘unrecognizably subtle.’ Let’s not pretend this was a compliment!’’

Best: Matthew Macfadyen scores a win

Matthew Macfadyen got his first Globes win (off of his first Globes nomination), receiving the “best performance by a male actor in a supporting role – television” trophy for his role as Tom on HBO’s “Succession.” It was a well-earned win, coming after up four seasons of a great performance (and since “Succession” is over, was his last chance to win a Globe for the show). In his concise speech, he referred to his character, Tom Wambsgans, as a “human grease stain.” While thanking the show’s writers, he said, “I’m too scared to name them all, because I will forget someone and I won’t sleep!”

Worst: Taylor Swift “ends” Jo Koy’s career

During the ceremony, host Jo Koy made a joke about the NFL capitalizing on Swift-mania, since the pop star has made headlines attending the games of her NFL player beau, Travis Kelce. Koy joked, “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL is that at the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift.” It wasn’t a very funny joke. But it also wasn’t one of his meaner comments (he was far crueler to new dad Robert De Niro: “How’d you get her pregnant at 80? CGI?”). But, it got a big response. The pop star replied by glaring at him, and the internet reacted by saying, “She just ended this guy’s career with one glare. Another fan posted on X, formerly Twitter, “That Taylor Swift death glare was the nail in the coffin.” The whole sequence was awkward.

Best: “Suck it, Pedro!” 

Kieran Culkin took home the trophy for “best performance by a male actor in a television series – drama” for his role as Roman Roy on “Succession.” He beat fellow “Succession” stars Jeremy Strong and Brian Cox, Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”), Gary Oldman (“Slow Horses”) and Dominic West (“The Crown”). He told an anecdote about how he got nominated once before, 20 years ago — presumably talking about his 2003 nomination for the movie “Igby Goes Down.” But, he said, after that moment passed, he never thought he’d be in the same room again. Turning to the audience, he then said, “Suck it, Pedro!” The camera cut to fellow nominee Pedro Pascal, pretending to cry. It was an amusing interplay between competitors.

Worst: Cillian Murphy’s wife’s lipstick

When Cillian Murphy won for “best performance by a male actor in a motion picture – drama” for his titular role in “Oppenheimer,” his wife, Irish artist Yvonne McGuinness, kissed him. Unfortunately, her lipstick smeared all over his face. On live TV, she frantically scrubbed his nose and mouth with her finger, trying to wipe it off before he walked onstage. But his face was visibly red. “First question, do I have lipstick all over my nose? I’m just going to leave it,” he began his acceptance speech. It was a humanizing moment — stars, they’re just like us! But, if his wife had a makeup artist, that was a major blunder from them.

Best: Ayo Edebiri thanks assistants 

Ayo Edebiri took home a trophy for “best performance by a female actor in a television series – musical or comedy” for her role as Sydney Adamu in “The Bear.” It was her first win, off of her first nomination, and it showed. In an earnest speech, the actress, 28, was visibly shaking and flustered. At the end, she said, “Assistants — to people who answer my emails, y’all are real ones!” That comment got a big applause from the room, and it was lovely to see someone show appreciation to the “little people” during her moment at the top.