The 2025 Golden Globes were a success. Yes, your favorite actor or preferred movie may not have taken home a golden statuette, but the evening checked all the boxes for the event often considered “Hollywood’s night out.” Held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and hosted by Nikki Glaser on Sunday, January 5, the show was bursting with star power and glamour, creating an energetic start to this year’s award season. And while those watching at home took in the red carpet and ceremony via CBS or Paramount+, the television cameras can’t catch all the quips, conversations, and narrowly avoided wardrobe malfunctions that made the night all the more memorable.
It all began on the carpet, which sat underneath the hot L.A. sun and was made steamier by body heat as throngs of celebrities, publicists, and reporters made the trek through the gauntlet of cameras. Moët & Chandon, the official champagne of the evening, lined the carpet with red-suited hunks, armed with mini bottles of bubbly to get the party started early.
The winners of the Timothée Chalamet and Glen Powell lookalike contests were present, holding up signs with their names lest their celebrity likenesses were lost upon the photographers. Despite the impressively elite guest list, the most-coveted attendee was undoubtedly Cesily Collette Taylor, the young Wicked actress, of “Yeah” fame. The six-year-old wheeled her way around the carpet in her polka-dot dress, stopping when an A-list star requested a photo or chat. Taylor, however, was most excited to see her costar Cynthia Erivo, and gifted the actress hat and brooms charm for her upcoming 38th birthday.
As showtime inched closer, stars were rushed past the mini mic-clad reporters and toward the hotel’s ballroom. Erivo and Ariana Grande stepped in to help, pulling Zendaya—who sported a new engagement ring—through the crowd so the actress could walk the step and repeat and make it to her table before the show began and Glaser made her big debut.
Notably the first woman to host the Globes on her own, Glaser immediately set the tone with her opening monologue, a slightly pacified version of the celebrity roasts for which she is known. Benny Blanco, Ariana Grande, and Timothée Chalamet took her jabs in stride, while digs directed at RFK Jr. and Ben Affleck allowed attendees to laugh without fear that the uninvited butt of the joke may be watching. It became immediately clear the 2025 ceremony would not go the way of its predecessor, a clunkier broadcast haphazardly pulled along by Jo Koy. By the first commercial break, guests felt comfortable enough to kick back and pour another glass of Moët, which sat at the center of every table.
Ariana DeBose used the pause in the show to search for a little something stronger, asking no one in particular, “Where’s the alcohol?” as she made her way through the maze of tables and dress trains. Those who missed the Nobu-catered seated dinner during the red carpet gathered in the back of the Beverly Hilton ballroom, where sushi, sashimi, and caviar tacos were served. There, Quinta Brunson could be seen chatting against a back wall with her Abbott Elementary costar, Tyler James Williams; they were soon joined by Cara Delevingne and DeBose, who had happily completed her quest, a drink in hand.
Kylie Jenner—who joined her boyfriend, Chalamet, for the evening—took the opportunity of a commercial break to fix her dress, which had ripped at her hip. Luckily, there was a seamstress on hand (whether it was her personal tailor was unclear). She paused her ongoing chat with seat mates Monica Barbaro and Elle Fanning to find a quiet place to remedy the fashion mishap, flanked by two bodyguards to shield her from prying eyes.
Back on stage, Glaser’s short-lived Conclave/Wicked mash-up bit revitalized the crowd, while heartfelt speeches had everyone nodding their heads. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley’s brief recreation of The Substance was a winner. After nailing their lines, the co-stars and presenters held hands and giggled as the nominees for their category were announced, proving that despite the plot of their film, the two truly are one.
As the clock ticked toward eight—the planned end-time of the show—guests began to get antsy and leave before the final winners were called. The stars of Nobody Wants This, Adam Brody and Kristen Bell (who were both accompanied by their respective famous beaus) dipped out early after their series lost to Hacks. Luca Guadagnino could be seen rushing out immediately following the last award of the night, which saw his film Challengers fall to Emilia Pérez. It seems he had the right idea, because the second the Emilia Peréz cast left the stage, a stampede headed for the exit. The black cars outside couldn’t move quite as quickly, however, and the bottleneck delayed the A-listers’ departure from the venue. Sarah Paulson waited patiently while warming up by a heater, tracking the arrival of her driver on her phone. “I have to cut my foot off at the ankle,” she joked to her friend, fellow actor Leslie Grossman.
Some were headed to the Spago, Funke, or Marea Beverly Hills for the various post-ceremony fetes, while others retired for the night and went home. Chalamet and Jenner snuck out the back entrance hand-in-hand, as friends and costars bid adieu to each other. They’ll reunite and do it all over again in just one week’s time, at the Critic’s Choice Awards.
