The prestigious Golden Globes ceremony has ignited a furious backlash online after organisers chose to announce the winner of a major category during a commercial break, leaving viewers and the honoured artist sidelined.
Viewers Fume as Key Award is Sidelined
During the live broadcast, the award for Best Score, Motion Picture was presented while the television feed was showing advertisements. The honour went to composer Ludwig Göransson for his work on the film Sinners. A clip of his acceptance speech was later shared on social media platform X, where it quickly went viral and fuelled widespread condemnation.
Audiences expressed their anger at the perceived disrespect, questioning the ceremony's priorities. "The Golden Globes just presented Best Score during the commercial break," read the initial post. The sentiment was echoed by countless users, with one stating, "During the commercial?! Freaking gross." Another viewer lamented, "Thank you for sharing! I wanted to see it. Sad they didn’t broadcast it."
Many pointed out the apparent misallocation of airtime during the packed show. "They had time for a song, a podcast award and a stand up one, yet not for score?" asked one critic. Another raged, "You presented the AWARD for BEST SCORE DURING THE COMMERCIAL BREAK just so you can have time for a sketch and a category for PODCASTS?!"
Monologue and Jokes Dominate Airtime
The decision to cut the award was thrown into sharper relief by the content that did make the broadcast. Host Nikki Glaser opened the show with a politically charged monologue. She took aim at former President Donald Trump's Justice Department, sarcastically awarding it a 'Golden Globe for Best Editing' following the release of heavily-redacted documents related to the Epstein case in November 2025.
Glaser also targeted actor Leonardo DiCaprio with a joke about his dating history. "And the most impressive thing is that you were able to accomplish all of that before your girlfriend turned 30," she quipped. Cameras cut to a visibly uncomfortable DiCaprio, who offered an awkward thumbs up. Glaser later apologised for the "cheap" joke, noting the actor's famous privacy. DiCaprio's girlfriend, Vittoria Ceretti, 27, was not in attendance.
Artists and Fans Feel 'Disrespected'
The core of the online fury centred on the disrespect shown to the artistic craft. One viewer commented, "The amount of disrespect for the artists who poured their blood, sweat and tears is unfathomable." Another compared the treatment of categories, writing, "This makes me livid actually. Best Podcast airs in full with clips and everything but Best Score is sacrificed for more Big Pharma ad time. OK then."
The incident has sparked a broader conversation about the values of major award shows, where commercial interests and entertainment segments can sometimes appear to overshadow the recognition of artistic achievement itself. The decision to relegate a significant creative award to an ad break has been widely condemned as a profound misstep by the Golden Globes organisers.
