The Gay Goings-On at the 2025 Golden Globes
(Photo by Michael Buckner/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Welcome to the first Pop Culture Fix of 2025, where I will be telling you some of the queer highlights of this year’s Golden Globes!
First, I’ll be honest with you: I don’t watch awards shows anymore. No one I want to win ever actually wins, the host is usually cringe, and I have second-hand embarrassment when people have teleprompter foibles or get played off stage because their speech is too long. And I inevitably get angry about things like why horror doesn’t have its own category, or why musicals and comedies are smashed together as one, and why non-binary actors have to pick a binary gender if they want to submit for an award. I prefer to get my highlights from the internet, let the people filter out what’s interesting and what’s not. And on that note, I heard Nikki Glaser actually did a great job hosting, which is encouraging.
Without further ado, some of the queer goings-on at the Golden Globes last night!
First up, Emilia Pérez, which had 10 nominations, won for four of them: Best Musical or Comedy and Best non-English Language Picture, plus Zoe Saldaña for supporting actress, and “El Mal” for best original song. I found it surprising as someone who has not seen it but read Drew’s review of it, and have had other queer friends tell me separately about its trope-heaviness. That said, very happy for all involved, and love to see LGBTQ+ stories not be shoved under rugs during award show season.
Baby Reindeer won Best Limited Series, lesbian actress Jessica Gunning won Best Supporting Performance by an Actress for her role in it, Demi Moore won her first Golden Globe for her role in The Substance, and Jodie Foster won for her role in True Detective: Night Country and thanked her boys and “the love of my life, Alex.”
Hacks won Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy and Jean Smart won for Best Performance by an Actress in her category as well. Also this is neither here nor there but Hannah Einbinder looked very elegant.
Despite all its nominations, Wicked only won for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, which is amazing and I’m glad it won something, but I think it deserved more than that. I admit I am extremely biased but I’m kind of hoping that whoever votes on these things made an agreement to give Wicked its flowers next year after Part 2 comes out because if Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande don’t get awards for Wicked, that will be MY villain origin story.
We did get some fun moments between our girls Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande though. Nikki Glaser made a joke about holding space, so Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo recreated the meme, which I appreciate as someone in queer media. Nikki Glaser also did a little Pope-ular number, and Ariana Grande gave us a Galindafied toss-toss for a slow-mo red carpet video. And of course, she and Cynthia Erivo were inseparable at the event, always finding each other or just generally being adorable together.
In fact, the Golden Globes official account posted seating arrangements before the event, and had Lena Waithe sitting between her partner and Ariana…but Cynthia and Ari clearly paid no mind to it so they could sit next to each other, which I think is just lovely. I’m obsessed with their witchy bond.
Other fun highlights include Ayo Edebiri and Zendaya having a moment, Selena Gomez taking a picture with Cesily Collette, the little girl who played Young Nessa in Wicked, and Jonathan Van Ness rocking a gorgeous dress.
And finally I’ll leave you with a list of some of the best suits at the event (according to Vogue), most of which were worn by women and non-binary people.
What were your favorite Golden Globes moments?
Non-Globular Gay News:
+ It’s a small gay world: Broadway star Kathryn Gallagher and The L Word: Gen Q’s Jacqueline Toboni were smooching at New Years
+ Chloë Grace Moretz seems to be going public about her engagement to Kate Harrison
+ The Hollywood Reporter put together an all-star actress roundtable of Angelina Jolie, Demi Moore, Zendaya, Zoe Saldaña, Mikey Madison & Tilda Swinton
+ In devastating news, Aubrey Plaza’s husband Jeff Baena died this weekend
+ JoJo Siwa battles her exes in a music video, which feels a bit like a strange hybrid of the song Thank You, Next and the plot of Scott Pilgrim
+ Marvel’s Young Avengers/Champions project will include Wiccan (Joe Locke), Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), Hawkeye (Hailee Steinfeld), America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), and Ironheart (Dominique Thorne), and at least two of those characters are queer, one arguably has a gay crush on Captain Marvel, and one is being haunted by a queer witch, so fingers crossed this project will be gay as hell!
+ Three new Fear Street movies are in the works (separate from Fear Street: Prom Queen, which is also happening), let’s hope they’re as gay as the first three
I loved Wicked but I cannot look at photos of the leads anymore because their bodies and bones are so triggering. Kinda sucks to see their pics on full display at the top of this post.
They were both already skinny. but now it too much.
I can’t condone body-shaming of any kind, so I find it disappointing that you are calling someone’s regular human body triggering. In the photos/this article, they’re not body checking or talking about their weight or anything – as a fat person who has had issues with eating disorders in the past, I understand how things like that can be harmful – but in these photos and in this article, they are just two women living their lives, celebrating an accomplishment that they’re very proud of. You have no idea what their personal lives are like, and Ariana has specifically commented about how damaging it is for people to be constantly commenting on her body one way or another. If you can’t watch their interviews anymore, that’s a personal choice you can make for your own mental health, and I obviously respect and support that, but to expect them to not be in articles like this – and to say so in the comments – is taking it too far.
The Last of Us season 2 trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylovT43x3yo
You missed queer actress Ariana DeBose being adorable humble when presenting Best Movie Supporting Actor . Her new co star Ke Huy Quan and her did a bit. Where he said a wrote a whole speech and there a part where you sing . and she was like I’m not going to do that in front of Glinda , Elphabet and the cast of Emilia Perez. It was cute.
Oh my goodness the internet failed me! I hadn’t seen this and will have to look it up immediately, thank you!!!
Kat Winslet, my forever crush since I was a wee baby gay, looked amazing! I’m glad Jodie Foster won (Kali Reis should have as well IMO). True Detective was a force with both of them. I thought Nikki Glaser was funny but I already like her so I’m biased. All-in-all not a bad show.
You’re not alone, most people seemed to enjoy Nikki Glaser! Huzzah!
Wicked deserved more accolades than the pity consolation prize it got at the Globes. I hope this isn’t a foreshadowing of how it’ll do for the rest of the awards season because I’ll be really vexed and disappointed if the film and cast don’t get the awards and recognition it very much deserves.