Golden Globes 2020: Best And Worst Moments

The 2020 Golden Globes took place on Jan. 5, and they were certainly memorable — for better or worse. We've recapped the Ricky Gervais-hosted ceremony below via 14 best and worst moments; scroll down to see the night's highlights and lowlights, then tell us what you thought of the broadcast!

BEST: BONG'S NOT WRONG

What's better than throwing some good-natured shade during your Golden Globes acceptance speech? Doing it in multiple languages! After Parasite won for Best Foreign Language Film, director Bong Joon-ho told the crowd — first in Korean, then in English via his translator — that "once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films." And really, how can we argue with perspective like that?

BEST: MCKINNON'S MONOLOGUE

There wasn't a dry eye in the house when SNL's Kate McKinnon came out to honor Ellen DeGeneres and spoke of DeGeneres' impact on her as a young, lesbian woman. "If I hadn't seen her on TV, I would have thought, 'I could never be on TV. They don't let LGBTQ people be on TV,'" McKinnon said. "And more than that, I would have gone on thinking that I was an alien and that I maybe didn't even have a right to be here. So thank you, Ellen, for giving me a shot at a good life." (Watch McKinnon's speech here.)

BEST: THE BIG SHORT

Not every celebrity cracked a smile during host Ricky Gervais' monologue, which unsurprisingly skewered many of the A-listers in the ballroom. But Martin Scorsese took it in stride when Gervais mocked his height (Scorsese is just 5'4"), gamely laughing off the insult that he isn't tall enough to ride roller coasters. "It's true!" Scorsese said to tablemate Robert De Niro, unexpectedly making The Irishman's table the most interesting one in the ballroom.

WORST: THEY NEED NO INTRODUCTION

The banter between presenters is always uncomfortable, but Matt Bomer and Sofia Vergara may have set a new record for on-stage awkwardness. After a slip-up in which Vergara started to read Bomer's lines, there was a distinct tension between the actors that didn't let up until they left the stage. Making matters worse? They presented two awards together.

BEST: RAMY YOUSSEF'S HUMBLE ACCEPTANCE

While accepting his award, the Ramy star thanked God, then acknowledged how few people have actually heard of his critically acclaimed Hulu comedy. "Look, I know you guys haven't seen my show," he said. "Everyone's like, 'Is this an editor?'" Heck, he wasn't even his mother's first choice for Best Actor in a TV Series (Musical or Comedy). "My mom was rooting for Michael Douglas," Youssef exclaimed. "Egyptians love Michael Douglas!"

BEST: THANKS, OBAMA

Phoebe Waller-Bridge made a naughty reference to President Obama during the Globes, and we're pretty sure Fleabag herself would be very proud. While accepting the award for Best Comedy Series, Waller-Bridge thanked the former POTUS for recently putting Fleabag on his list of best 2019 television, adding that "as some of you may know, he's always been on [my list]" — an allusion to the Season 1 scene in which Fleabag pleasures herself while watching an Obama speech. We're blushing just thinking about it! (And thinking about Obama himself knowing about that scene oh my gosh.)

WORST: TARANTINO GIVES NO THANKS

Based on his Best Screenplay win for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino does some of the best writing in the industry — and he probably should have used that skill to jot down a semi-coherent acceptance speech ahead of the Globes. Instead, Tarantino's time at the microphone was a meandering mess, made even more off-putting by his insinuation that he didn't need to thank anyone, since he wrote the film's screenplay alone. Where's the play-off music when you need it?

WORST: LAST MAN LAUGHING

No one was more amused by Tim Allen than... Tim Allen. The Last Man Standing star started off by making a completely irrelevant joke about how he's aged. Then he went and interrupted co-presenter Lauren Graham — poor Lauren Graham! — to make an even less funny joke about having to Google the nominees for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Drama. (Seriously, what did Graham do to deserve this?)

DRAW: SING OUT, ANSEL!

On one hand, Ansel Elgort's decision to sing his award introduction made us cringe a bit (mostly for Dakota Fanning, who was left to helplessly giggle while Elgort belted). On the other? Kid's got pipes! And we're now sufficiently curious about his upcoming turn as Tony in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story remake.

BEST: YAS, QUEEN!

In case you missed last year's Oscars, Olivia Colman essentially gave a repeat performance of her endearing, impromptu and slightly intoxicated acceptance speech, this time for her work on Netflix's The Crown. "I'm a bit boozy," Colman admitted, having expected another nominee to win the award, then later celebrated Fleabag's wins with a soft, "Yay!" Honestly, we just want Colman to give every acceptance speech for the remainder of awards season, whether or not she's the recipient. Too much to ask?

BEST: BRAD AND JEN, TOGETHER AGAIN

Our heartfelt thanks to the Globes' savvy director, who knew just when to include Brad Pitt and ex Jennifer Aniston in the same shot: when Brad was cracking a joke about his love life, of course! At the end of his acceptance speech for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, Pitt remarked that the rumor mill starts spinning any time he's seen in public with a single woman — and Aniston laughed! Ah, these crazy kids.

BEST: WILLIAMS' WISE WORDS

Like most awards shows these days, the Globes featured a number of political messages, from Russell Crowe's plea about climate change to Patricia Arquette's opposition to a possible new war. Our favorite, though, was Michelle Williams' speech, which focused on voting rights and a woman's ability to choose. "Vote in your self-interest," she urged women across the nation. "It's what men have been doing for years." We only wish she'd taken that microphone off its stand, so she could drop it on her way off the stage.

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BEST: FRIEND REQUEST DENIED

With all due respect to Ricky Gervais, it was Sacha Baron Cohen who delivered the best takedown of the night while describing the film Jojo Rabbit. "The hero is a naive, misguided child who spreads Nazi propaganda and only has imaginary friends," Cohen began. "His name is Mark Zuckerberg." Zing!

BEST: THERE IS CRYING IN BASEBALL

Just when you didn't think you could love Tom Hanks more, he got adorably weepy while accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award, particularly while thanking his family. What's more, Hanks basically spent his entire speech teaching his fellow actors good manners, like showing up to work on time. We don't throw around the phrase "national treasure" very often, but that seems like the only way to describe such a charming, kind performer.