Golden Globes 2024 recap: Biggest moments from the 81st annual awards show

The awards show honored the best in film and television.

Last Updated: January 7, 2024, 5:40 PM EST

The 2024 Golden Globes kicked off awards season Sunday night as the best in film and television were honored.

Comedian Jo Koy hosted the ceremony, which was held at Los Angeles' famed Beverly Hilton.

"Oppenheimer" and "Succession" were big winners of the night, with "Barbie" taking home the prize for cinematic and box office achievement, one of the two new categories at this year's show.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association -- the group of international journalists who previously chose nominees for and decided winners at the annual awards show -- was officially wound down last summer after years of controversy. Now with new management and a voting membership that has swelled to 300 members, this year marked a fresh start for the Golden Globes.

Check out a recap of how the night unfolded below.

Jan 07, 2024, 11:20 PM EST

'Oppenheimer' wins best motion picture (drama)

"Oppenheimer" won the Golden Globe for best motion picture (drama).

Producer Emma Thomas accepted the award on behalf of the film.

"Thank you so much to the Golden Globes," Thomas began. "This was just an incredible experience making this film."

"I loved sitting here and hearing everyone talk about their work. What we do here is collaboration, and I find that to be completely magical," she added, before acknowledging director Christopher Nolan, her husband, for his work on the film.

This was "Oppenheimer's" fifth win at the Golden Globes tonight. The movie also won best performance by a male actor in a supporting role in any motion picture, best director, best performance by a male actor in a motion picture (drama) and best original score.

Other nominees in the category included "Anatomy of a Fall," "Killers of the Flower Moon," "Maestro," "Past Lives" and "The Zone of Interest."

PHOTO: Emma Thomas accepts the award for Best Motion Picture  Drama for "Oppenheimer" at the 81st Golden Globe Awards, Jan. 7, 2024 in Beverly Hills.
Emma Thomas accepts the award for Best Motion Picture Drama for "Oppenheimer" at the 81st Golden Globe Awards, Jan. 7, 2024 in Beverly Hills.
Rich Polk/Getty Images
Jan 07, 2024, 11:16 PM EST

Lily Gladstone wins best performance by a female actor in a motion picture (drama)

Lily Gladstone won the Golden Globe for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture (drama) for "Killers of the Flower Moon."

Gladstone is the first Indigenous actor to win a Golden Globe for best actress.

During her acceptance speech, Gladstone spoke using the language of the Blackfeet people.

"I'm so grateful I can speak even a little bit of my language -- which I'm not fluent in -- up here, because in this business, native actors used to speak their lines in English and the sound mixers would run them backwards to accomplish native languages on camera."

"This is a historic win, it doesn't belong to just me," she continued. "This is for every little rez kid … every little native kid out there who has a dream, who is seeing themselves represented and our stories told by ourselves in our own words with tremendous allies and tremendous trust…."

PHOTO: Lily Gladstone accepts award for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture  Drama for "Killers of the Flower Moon" at the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2024.
Lily Gladstone accepts award for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for "Killers of the Flower Moon" at the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2024.
Rich Polk/Getty Images

Past Indigenous nominees include Chief Dan George for "Little Big Man" and Irene Bedard for "Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee."

Other nominees in the category included Annette Bening for "Nyad," Sandra Hüller for "Anatomy of a Fall," Greta Lee for "Past Lives," Carey Mulligan for "Maestro" and Cailee Spaeny for "Priscilla."

Jan 07, 2024, 10:56 PM EST

'Poor Things' wins best motion picture (musical or comedy)

"Poor Things" won the Golden Globe for best motion picture (musical or comedy).

Director Yorgos Lanthimos accepted the award with the "Poor Things" cast by his side.

"Thank you, everybody," Lanthimos said. "The actors, wonderful actors. Bruce Springsteen, for making me grow up the way I did. And Emma, of course."

Emma Stone won the Golden Globe earlier tonight for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture (musical or comedy) for her role as Bella Baxter in the film.

Other nominees in the category included "Air," "American Fiction," "Barbie," "The Holdovers" and "May December."

Jan 07, 2024, 10:54 PM EST

Paul Giamatti wins best performance by a male actor in a motion picture (musical or comedy)

Paul Giamatti won the Golden Globe for best performance by a male actor in a motion picture (musical or comedy) for "The Holdovers."

"Surely this is the first time this award has been given to an actor who has played a man who smells like fish," he said in his acceptance speech, before thanking his co-stars, the film's director and his girlfriend.

He also gave a shoutout to his son, who he said recently graduated from college.

Giamatti also dedicated his win to teachers. "It's a movie about a teacher. I play a teacher in it," he explained. "My whole family, they're teachers. All of them, going back generations. Teachers are good people -- gotta respect them. They do a good thing. It's a tough job."

Other nominees in the category included Nicolas Cage for "Dream Scenario," Timothée Chalamet for "Wonka," Matt Damon for "Air," Joaquin Phoenix for "Beau is Afraid" and Jeffrey Wright for "American Fiction."

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