The Best Quotes From The Golden Globes

1980 Get a Load of Those Golden Globes!

When Bette Midler, the Divine Miss M, won a Golden Globe for best new female star in a motion picture in 1980, she accepted the award with one of the first televised NSFW moments. “I’m reminded actually, of when Joan Crawford won her Golden Globe and she said, um … ‘I can’t do, I have to be tasteful they told me I was supposed to be … she said I’ll show you a pair of Golden Globes’” before attempting to do something nasty to her award.

1999 Care for a Swim?

Wearing a heavily beaded evening gown by designer Randolph Duke that probably cost more than a nice car, Angelina Jolie swore that if she won the award, she’d jump in the Beverly Hilton pool. She did, and she did, dress and all.

2009 The Great Recession

Presenter and cringe-worthy Borat star Sasha Baron Cohen commented on the sad state of the economy during his 2009 presentation. “The recession is affecting everyone, even celebrities. Victoria Beckham hasn’t eaten for three weeks. And even Madonna has had to get rid of one of her personal assistants. Our thoughts go out to you, Guy Ritchie.”

2013 A Cryptic Speech

So, while the Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster never actually “came out,” it was a widely known fact that she was a lesbian. In accepting her award, Foster said, “I guess I have a sudden urge to say something that I’ve never really been able to air in public. But I’m just going to put it out there, right? Loud and proud, right? So I’m going to need your support on this. I am single.” In a moment that could have been meaningful to countless people waiting/fearing/trying to come out, it fell flat.

2013/2014 By George, They’ve Got It!

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler jabbed Hollywood hunk George Clooney not once, but twice, in back-to-back Globes shows. In 2013, they quipped: “Gravity is nominated for Best Film. It’s the story of how George Clooney would rather float away into space and die rather than spend one more minute with a woman his own age.” And in 2014, the pair once again railed on the now-married Clooney with, “George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin this year. Amal is a human rights lawyer who worked on the Enron case, was an adviser to Kofi Annan regarding Syria, and was selected to a three-person U.N. commission investigating rules of war violations in the Gaza Strip. So tonight, her husband is getting a lifetime achievement award.”

2016 A Censor’s Night Terrors

So many bleep-worthy segments happened in this year’s telecast. Host Ricky Gervais asked Mel Gibson to clarify his curse-filled rant when he was arrested in 2006. Then Amy Schumer said the “C” word in her presentation back and forths with best friend and co-nominee Jennifer Lawrence.

2017 Comedy and Tragedy

Kristen Wiig and Steve Carell (featured image) were called on to present the Best Animated Feature category. And each tried to convey a memory of how they were affected by animated films. What started out as potentially joyful memories ended as tearful, painful stories of the trauma they endured as kids. We don’t know if the stories were real, but yeah, Bambi.

The Globes never disappoint. You’d probably never see this irreverence on the Academy Awards or the Tonys. So if you haven’t watched the show in awhile – or ever – it might be time to check it out.