Golden Globes host Nikki Glaser kicked off the 2026 ceremony with a sensational start, delivering a provocative joke about the Epstein files and taking jabs at celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and CBS News during her opening monologue.

The 41-year-old comedian, returning for her second year in a row as host, wasted no time addressing the infamous Epstein client list, which has remained largely redacted, mere moments into the live three-hour event broadcast on CBS.

“I can’t believe the sheer star power we have gathered in this room tonight. It’s unbelievable. So many A-listers—and by A-listers, I mean those on ‘a list’ that’s been heavily redacted,” Glaser quipped, drawing both cheers and groans from the star-studded audience.

She humorously awarded the ‘Golden Globe for best editing’ to Donald Trump’s Justice Department, which, since November 2025, has only released 1% of the files after Trump authorized their disclosure.

“Yes, congratulations,” Glaser remarked before turning her comedic sights on CBS News, which has experienced significant editorial shifts under Bari Weiss’s ‘anti-woke’ leadership.

“And the award for most editing goes to CBS News. Yes, CBS News, America’s newest destination for BS news. Because we definitely needed another one,” she said, poking fun at the network.

Golden Globes host Nikki Glaser opened the 2026 ceremony with a major bang as she dropped an explosive Epstein files joke before torching Leonardo DiCaprio and CBS News during her opening monologue

Glaser shifted her focus away from politics to roast many of the A-listers in the room, including Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio.

Glaser took a major dig at 51-year-old DiCaprio’s reputation for dating women under the age of 25 as she applauded his performance in the nominated film One Battle After Another, which she jokingly referred to as ‘One Man-Bun After Another.’

‘What a career you have had,’ she said to DiCaprio. ‘Countless iconic performances. You’ve worked with every great director, you’ve won three Golden Globes, and an Oscar.

‘The most impressive thing is that you were able to accomplish that all before your girlfriend turned 30. It is just insane.’

DiCaprio is currently in a relationship with 27-year-old Italian supermodel Vittoria Ceretti. 

Glaser then apologized to DiCaprio for the low blow but explained that people ‘known nothing else’ about the star.

‘Leo, I’m sorry I made that joke. It is cheap. I tried not to, but, like, we don’t know anything else about you,’ she explained, before adding, ‘There’s nothing else. Open up! I’m serious!’

Glaser claimed she ‘searched’ for more information about DiCaprio’s private life but ‘the most in-depth interview [he has] ever given was for ‘Teen Beat’ magazine in 1991.’

The comedian, 41, who returned as host for a second consecutive year, made mention of Epstein’s ‘heavily redacted’ client list mere seconds into the three-hour ceremony airing live on CBS

‘I cannot believe the amount of star power we have in this room tonight. It is insane. So many A-listers – and by A-listers, I mean people who are on ‘a list’ that has been heavily redacted,’ Glaser joked; Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet seen in audience

She then directly quoted a ridiculous answer DiCaprio, who would’ve been in his early 20s, once gave to the 90s magazine.

‘Is your favorite food still “Pasta, pasta, and more pasta?” she asked, before encouraging DiCaprio and the laughing audience to ‘look it up.’

Glaser congratulated the entire cast of One Battle After Another, including Golden Globe-winner Teyana Taylor, before taking a brutal dig at 65-year-old Sean Penn’s aging appearance.

‘[Penn] are such an original. Everyone in this town is obsessed with looking younger. But Sean Penn is like, “What if I slowly morph into a sexy leather handbag?”‘

As the audience erupted in laughter, Glaser reassured the Oscar-winning actor that the look he has going on is ‘hot’ and ‘good.’

She then shifted the topic to Penn’s humanitarian work in conflict zones in Russia, Venezuela and Cuba, joking that he goes to these destinations to ‘do cocaine.’ 

‘I feel like a lot of actors talk the talk, but Sean Penn will actually go to the places in the world that need help the most, and he will do cocaine there,’ she said.

After taking aim at Trump’s Justice Department and CBS, DiCaprio’s age-gap dating life was brought up by Glaser

‘The most impressive thing is that you were able to accomplish that all before your girlfriend turned 30. It is just insane,’ she said of DiCaprio’s award-filled career

‘And I feel like we don’t celebrate that enough.’

Glaser jokingly insisted that she got ‘get permission to do that joke’ from Penn’s ‘best friends’ Charlie Sheen and El Chapo. ‘Blame it on them,’ she added.

Michael B. Jordan, who plays the role of twin brothers in Ryan Coogler’s acclaimed horror flick Sinners, wasn’t safe from Glaser’s monologue.

Glaser started off by joking if it was appropriate for her, a blonde white woman, to describe Jordan, a Black man, as playing ‘two brothers’ in the blockbuster film.

Wait, am I allowed to say that? It doesn’t sound right! He played twins,’ she said.

She then made a shock masturbation joke as she recalled watching ‘two Michael B. Jordans’ onscreen.

‘When I saw that, I was like, Nikki B. Jerkin. Because that was awesome.’

She quickly apologized for the racy admission. ‘I’m sorry, Michael. Why did I make that joke?’

‘I should not have said that to you,’ Glaser exclaimed, before hilariously adding: ‘That should’ve been a DM.’

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s Wicked sequel Wicked: For Good, which Glaser called ‘Wicked: For money,’ also received a good ribbing from the night’s host over its nearly three-hour runtime.

Once again, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande gave us two career-defining performances,’ Glaser began. ‘I mean, it was so emotional.

‘Two hours in, I was in tears, like, “I can’t believe there’s 45 minutes left! It’s too much!” I’m kidding. A little long, but I loved it.’

The 83rd Golden Globe Awards have brought together some of the brightest stars in film and television at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday.

Comedian Nikki Glaser will be serving as the master of ceremonies for the second year in a row as she will no doubt have A-listers shaking as she will be bringing her shocking no-holds-barred sense of humor to her hosting duties.

‘Hosting the Golden Globes this year was without a doubt the most fun I have ever had in my career,’ Glaser, 41, said in a March statement. ‘I can’t wait to do it again, and this time in front of the team from The White Lotus who will finally recognize my talent and cast me in season 4 as a Scandinavian Pilates instructor with a shadowy past.’

When it comes to the nominations it is One Battle After Another who leads the pack with a whopping nine nominations.

The Leonardo DiCaprio-starring epic picked up nods in the film categories including Best Picture, Director and Screenwriter, a Best Actor nod for its lead and Supporting Actor recognitions for Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn.

It will compete against Blue Moon, Bugonia, Marty Supreme, No Other Choice and Nouvelle Vague in the Best Picture – Musical Or Comedy category, with Wicked: For Good a shock snub.

Over in Best Picture – Drama, Frankenstein, Hamnet, It Was Just An Accident, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Values and Sinners go head to head.

Meanwhile in the TV categories, Netflix smash hit Adolescence built on its success at the Emmys with nods for all of its stars – Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty and 16-year-old Owen Cooper all received nominations alongside a surprise selection for Ashley Walters.

The show also picked up a nod in the Best Limited TV Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for TV category, alongside All Her Fault, The Beast in Me, Black Mirror, Dying for Sex and The Girlfriend bringing its total to five nominations.

The White Lotus narrowly beat Adolescence with six nods though, most of which came from the acting categories thanks to its all-star cast.

The major ceremony in the awards season calendar honors the best of film, TV and, for the first time this year, podcasts, across 28 categories.

This year, all 28 award categories have six nominees, with the exception of Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, which features eight.

One of the most contentious categories surely will be Best Male Actor – Television – Drama with Sterling K. Brown for Paradise, Diego Luna for Andor, Gary Oldman for Slow Horses, Mark Ruffalo for Task, Adam Scott for Severance and Noah Wyle for The Pitt all up for the gong.

Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty both received acting nominations. Owen, 16, landed a nod in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role — TV Series, Limited series or TV Movie.

He will compete against his co-star Ashley Walters as well as Billy Crudup, The Morning Show, Walton Goggins, The White Lotus, Jason Isaac, The White Lotus and Tramell Tillman, Severance.

Erin is up against fellow Brit Aimee Lou Wood for The White Lotus in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role — TV Series, Limited series or TV Movie.

Also in the category is Carrie Coon, The White Lotus, Hannah Einbinder, Hacks, Catherine O’Hara, The Studio and Parker Posey, The White Lotus.

Irish actor Paul Mescal has secured a nomination in the Best Supporting Male Actor – Motion Picture category, competing against Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another, Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein, Paul Mescal, Hamnet, Sean Penn, One Battle After Another, Adam Sandler, Jay Kelly and Stellan Skarsgard, Sentimental Value.

Best Screenplay saw Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another, Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, Ryan Coogler, Sinners, Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident and Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet.

When it comes to the nominations it is One Battle After Another who leads the pack with a whopping nine nominations 

Adolescence stars Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty both received acting nominations with the Netflix hit earning five nods in total 

The White Lotus narrowly beat Adolescence with six nods though, most of which came from the acting categories thanks to its all-star cast

Elsewhere in the film categories, Joachim Trier’s Norwegian family drama Sentimental Value scored eight nominations, just behind One Battle After Another.

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners got seven nods and Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet nabbed five total nods tying its total with that of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked: For Good.

Wicked’s sequel was the surprise snub as it missed out in the Best Musical or Comedy category. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were recognised in the acting categories though.

Other notable snubs included Sydney Sweeney’s lack of nomination for Christy in the Best Actress (drama) category, with Jennifer Lawrence (Die My Love), Tessa Thompson (Hedda) and Julia Roberts (After The Hunt) included alongside surprise star Eva Victor for her performance in the independent US film Sorry, Baby.

Irish actress Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), who is seen as the front-runner, completes the category.

Kathryn Bigelow of Netflix nuclear thriller A House of Dynamite failed to pick up a single nomination as did Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On?

Timothee Chalamet is hoping for his first Globes win after four previous nominations and missing out on a tipped win last year for his performance in A Complete Unknown. He earned the Best Actor award at The Critics Choice Awards last week.

This year he is up in the Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category for Marty Supreme.

Wicked’s sequel was the surprise snub as it missed out in the Best Musical or Comedy category. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were recognised in the acting categories though

Irish actress Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) is already a hot favourite to win in the Best Actress (drama) category

One winner has already been announced as Dame Helen Mirren will be the recipient of the Cecil B DeMille Golden Globe for lifetime achievement.

Dame Helen will be presented with the prestigious gong, whose previous recipients include Meryl Streep, Alfred Hitchcock and last year’s winner Viola Davis, in a ceremony on January 8, three days before the main Golden Globes take place.

‘Helen Mirren is a force of nature, and her career is nothing short of extraordinary,’ said Helen Hoehne, president of the Golden Globes.

‘Her transcendent performances and commitment to her craft continue to inspire generations of artists and audiences alike. It is a profound honour to present her with the Cecil B DeMille award.’

Golden Globe Awards 2026 winners

Best Picture – Comedy Or Musical

Blue Moon

Bugonia 

Marty Supreme 

No Other Choice 

Nouvelle Vague 

 

Best Picture – Drama

Frankenstein

Hamnet

It Was Just An Accident

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value 

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama

Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams

Oscar Isaac – Frankenstein

Dwayne Johnson – Smashing Machine

Michael B. Jordan – Sinners

Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent

Jeremy Allen White – Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy

Timothee Chalamet – Marty Supreme

George Clooney – Jay Kelly

Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another

Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon

Lee Byung-Hun – No Other Choice

Jesse Plemons – Bugonia

 

 Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama

Jessie Buckley – Hamnet

Jennifer Lawrence – Die, My Love

Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value

Julia Roberts – After the Hunt

Tessa Thompson – Hedda

Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy

Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Cynthia Erivo – Wicked: For Good

Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue

Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another

Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee

Emma Stone – Bugonia

 

Best Supporting Actress 

Emily Blunt – The Smashing Machine

Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value

Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value

Amy Madigan –  Weapons

Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another – WINNER

 

Best Supporting Actor

Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another

Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein

Paul Mescal – Hamnet

Sean Penn – One Battle After Another

Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly

Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value – WINNER

 

Best Original Song

“Dream as One” – Avatar: Fire and Ash

“Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters – WINNER

“I Lied to You” – Sinners

“No Place Like Home” – Wicked: For Good

The Girl in the Bubble” – Wicked: For Good

“Train Dreams” –  Train Dreams

 

Best Original Score– Motion Picture 

Alexandre Desplat – Frankenstein

Ludwig Göransson – Sinners

Jonny Greenwood – One Battle After Another

Kangding Ray – Sirāt

Max Richter – Hamnet

Hans Zimmer – F1

 

 Best Director – Motion Picture

Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another

Ryan Coogler – Sinners

Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein

Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident

Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value

Chloé Zhao – Hamnet

 

Best Screenplay

Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another – WINNER

Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme

Ryan Coogler – Sinners

Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident

Maggie O’Farrell – Hamnet

 

Outstanding Cinematic and Box Office Achievement

Avatar: Fire and Ash

F1

KPop Demon Hunters

Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning

Sinners

Weapons

Wicked: For Good

Zootopia 2

 

Best Podcast

Armchair Expert

Call Her Daddy

Good Hang – WINNER

The Mel Robbins Podcast

Smartless

Up First

Best TV Series – Drama

The Diplomat

The Pitt

Pluribus

Severance

Slow Horses

The White Lotus

 

Best TV Series – Musical or Comedy

Abbott Elementary

The Bear

Hacks

Nobody Wants This

Only Murders in the Building

The Studio

 

Best Limited TV Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for TV

Adolescence

All Her Fault

The Beast in Me

Black Mirror

Dying for Sex

The Girlfriend

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series – Drama

Sterling K. Brown – Paradise

Diego Luna – Andor

Gary Oldman – Slow Horses

Mark Ruffalo – Task

Adam Scott – Severance

Noah Wyle – The Pitt – WINNER

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series — Drama

Kathy Bates – Matlock

Britt Lower – Severance

Helen Mirren – MobLand

Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us

Keri Russell – The Diplomat

Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for TV 

 Claire Danes – The Beast in Me

Rashida Jones – Black Mirror

Amanda Seyfried – Long Bright River

Sarah Snook – All Her Fault

Michelle Williams – Dying for Sex

Robin Wright – The Girlfriend

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series — Musical or Comedy

Adam Brody – Nobody Wants This

Steve Martin – Only Murders in the Building

Glen Powell – Chad Powers

Seth Rogen – The Studio – WINNER

Martin Short – Only Murders in the Building

Jeremy Allen White – The Bear

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series — Musical or Comedy

Kristen Bell – Nobody Wants This

Ayo Edebiri – The Bear

Selena Gomez – Only Murders in the Building

Natasha Lyonne – Poker Face

Jenna Ortega – Wednesday

Jean Smart – Hacks – WINNER

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for TV

Jacob Elordi – The Narrow Road to the Deep North

Paul Giamatti – Black Mirror

Stephen Graham – Adolescence

Charlie Hunnam – Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Jude Law – Black Rabbit

Matthew Rhys – The Beast in Me

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role — TV Series, Limited series or TV Movie

Owen Cooper – Adolescence – WINNER

Billy Crudup – The Morning Show

Walton Goggins – The White Lotus

Jason Isaac – The White Lotus

Tramell Tillman – Severance

Ashley Walters – Adolescence

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role — TV Series, Limited series or TV Movie

Carrie Coon – The White Lotus

Erin Doherty – Adolescence

Hannah Einbinder – Hacks

Catherine O’Hara – The Studio

Parker Posey – The White Lotus

Aimee Lou Wood – The White Lotus

 

Best non-English Language Film 

 It Was Just an Accident

No Other Choice

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sirât

The Voice of Hind Rajab

 

Best Animated Film 

Arco

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle

Elio

KPop Demon Hunters

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

Zootopia 2

Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on TV

Bill Maher – Is Anyone Else Seeing This?

Brett Goldstein – The Second Best Night of Your Life

Kevin Hart – Acting My Age

Kumail Nanjiani – Night Thoughts

Ricky Gervais – Mortality

Sarah Silverman – Postmortem