The juiciest Golden Globe moments: From Taylor Swift and Selena’s gossip session to Kylie and Timothee’s kisses

With an endless supply of champagne flowing to keep A-listers loose, the Golden Globes has become the awards show most likely to serve the juiciest of water cooler moments.

For a night, Hollywood icons rub elbows, drink to their heart’s delight, and watch as their peers in both film and television are honored for their work over the past year.

But despite it being a glamorous, black-tie affair, it has also delivered no shortage of jaw-dropping moments that have made viewers both gasp and cringe.

This year, comedienne Nikki Glaser will be returning to host in an evening that will certainly produce another viral moment.

As the 2026 Golden Globes prepares to unfold this weekend, The Daily Mail is taking a look at the most outrageous, unforgettable, and talked-about spectacles that have riveted audiences…

TAYLOR SWIFT AND SELENA GOMEZ’S GAB SESSION

In 2024, Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez went viral when they were spotted gossiping during the Beverly Hills ceremony alongside Keleigh Sperry.

Viewers scrambled to lip read the interaction, deducing that Selena was filling her girlfriends in on an awkward interaction with couple of the moment Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet.

The scandal spawned hundreds of memes as fans call for the frenemies to attend every awards ceremony, while others declared that the viral moment had thrust the Globes (which has undergone a major rebrand since the 2022 controversy) into Generation Z’s eyeline.

Video from their table showed Selena, Taylor, and Miles Teller’s wife Keleigh having an animated discussion – with Selena waxing lyrical to a shocked Taylor and Keleigh, before the latter is clearly heard clarifying: ‘with Timothee?’ as Selena nods.

KYLIE JENNER AND TIMOTHEE CHALAMET’S STEAMY PDA 

Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet made their Golden Globes debut as a couple in 2024 – and didn’t shy away from expressing their affection for one another. 

The couple were spotted packing on the PDA throughout the evening – and quickly inspired a slew of memes. 

Many compared the couple to the viral ‘Is this allowed’ 2014 kissing vine, while others begged the cameras to stop panning to the PDA.

‘Having to watch Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner make out every 29 seconds,’ tweeted one onlooker.

An onlooker told The Daily Mail that Chalamet and Jenner only had eyes for each other in the celeb-packed room: ‘They were at their table staring at one another.

‘They didn’t talk to anyone during the commercial break, they were just kissing… it looked like puppy dog love, like high school.’

JERROD CARMICHAEL CRACKS SCIENTOLOGY JOKE  

Jerrod Carmichael cracked a joke about exchanging the awards Tom Cruise returned in exchange for the return of Shelly Miscavige, the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige who has not been publicly seen since 2007. 

Prior to introducing two of Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick co-stars in 2023, Carmichael appeared clutching three Golden Globe awards. In 2021, Cruise returned his three awards in protest of the lack of Black Golden Globe voters.

He said: ‘Backstage, I found these three Golden Globe awards that Tom Cruise returned.’ 

The comedian – who began the show by poking fun at the Hollywood Foreign Press’s race issues – added: ‘I’m just the host… but I have a pitch. I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige.’ Cruise did not attend the ceremony.

Shelly, the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige has not been publicly seen since August 2007. It’s not clear if Carmichael was insinuating that Cruise might have some knowledge of Shell’s whereabouts. The actor has been a Scientologist for 30 years.

In 2013, Scientology defector Leah Remini filed a missing persons report for Shelly with the Los Angeles Police Department. The department was later satisfied that the mysterious first lady of the religion was fine.

At the time, Scientology said in a statement Remini’s actions were ‘ill-advised, ludicrous self-promotion.’

JO KOY’S CRINGE MONOLOGUE

Comedian Jo Koy was brought on last minute to host the 2024 Golden Globes and delivered the kind of monologue most people would rather forget. 

The dreadful opening monologue prompted social media users to brand him ‘the worst host ever’ – and much of the audience was left to respond with pity laughs. 

‘Yo, I got the gig 10 days ago, you want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up,’ Koy said at one point.

‘Slow down, I wrote some of these and they’re the one you’re laughing at,’ he insisted.

In one particularly cringe moment, as he mentioned hit movies made in 2023, Koy said that the ‘key moment’ in the Barbie movie was when Barbie experienced ‘bad breath, cellulite, and flat feet, or what casting directors call character actor.’

After he made the joke, actress Selena Gomez was seen bowing her head down and placing it in her hands in disbelief as nobody laughed.

‘Some I wrote some others wrote,’ he added.

JENNIFER COOLIDGE BRINGS WHITE LOTUS CREATOR TO TEARS WITH MOVING SPEECH 

In 2023, Jennifer Coolidge delivered an emotionally-charged acceptance speech that sparked tears after she accepted the award for her role in The White Lotus. 

During her moment on stage, she told the audience that the ‘dreams and expectations’ she had in her youth had been ‘fizzled out by life’ and thanked those who’d kept her career alive with ‘little jobs for 20 years’. 

The speech also brought The White Lotus creator Mike White to tears. 

‘I didn’t get to say what I really wanted to say at the Emmys, which is I didn’t get to say Mike White, you know, I just — truly, I just want you all to know that I had such big dreams and expectations as a younger person but what happened is they get sort of fizzled by life and whatever I thought I was going to be queen of Monaco even though someone else did it. But I had these giant ideas,’ she said, as they cut to White wiping back tears. 

‘And then you get older and, oh s**t’s going to happen. And, Mike White, you have given me hope — you’ve given me a new beginning. Even if this is the end, you changed my life in a million different ways,’ she said.

She added: ‘My neighbors are speaking to me and things like that,’ adding, ‘I was never invited to one party on my hill now everyone’s inviting me and I just — you know, it’s to you, Mike White.’

She continued: ‘If you don’t know Mike White, this is what you should know. It’s like, he is worried about the world, he’s worried about people, he’s worried about friends of his that aren’t doing well he’s always worried about people you’re worried about animals and I just — he really is one of the greatest people I’ve ever — he gives me so much excitement to be — you make people want to live longer, and I didn’t.’

‘I just want to say Mike White,’ she added, before getting bleeped by the censors, concluding with, ‘Mike, I love you to death. I just want to say, this is a real fun night thank you. Thank you!’

JEREMY RENNY BRANDED CREEP OVER J-LO ‘GLOBES’ JIBE 

Jeremy Renner found himself at the center of a social media storm when he made a joke about Jennifer Lopez’s breasts while co-presenting at the 2015 Golden Globes.

The pair were presenting the award for Best Actor in a Television Mini-Series or Movie when Jennifer volunteered to open the envelope and reveal the winner. ‘You want me to do it? I have the nails?’ Jennifer asked. 

‘You have the globes, too,’ Jeremy quipped before they presented the award to Billy Bob Thornton for his work in Fargo.

He was ridiculed on Twitter, with comments ranging from ‘Best Supporting Creep’ to ‘Boob-seeking robot’ but Jeremy was quick to defend himself.

 Posting a smiling picture of himself and Jennifer on-stage at the Beverly Hilton together, he tweeted: ‘A reminder not to take this s**t so serious. Thanks Jennifer — You’re a gem.x.’

 Jennifer wore a stunning Zuhair Murad gown with a plunging neckline to the awards ceremony, and Jeremy was evidently so distracted, he went off-script to make the comment. 

While Jennifer laughed it off like a pro on stage, Jeremy was roundly criticized. 

Anne T. Donahue wrote: ‘Jeremy Renner rushes back to his table. “You guys hear that? That globes joke I made? Not too bad, right? Guys?” No one makes eye contact.’

And Sarah Schaefer added: ‘Jeremy Renner wins best supporting creep #GoldenGlobes.’

Jennifer defended Jeremy afterwards, telling E! News: ‘That was really funny. He’s a very funny man. It even made me a little hot.’ 

RENEE ZELLWEGER WINS… BUT IS IN THE BATHROOM

Renee Zellweger nearly missed her chance to accept a Golden Globe after she popped to the bathroom when her win was announced in 2001.

Hugh Grant announced her as the winner for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for Nurse Betty – but the star was nowhere to be found.

He called out: ‘Renee? Renee? Where is she? She’s under the table? Renee is drunk ladies and gentleman.

‘Where is she, what’s happened? She disappeared. She’s in the bathroom. Okay, what do we do?’

As Grant began to accept the award on her behalf, Renee was seen heading to the stage looking embarrassed.

As she greeted Grant she exclaimed: ‘Oh God, I had lipstick on my teeth!’ 

TINA FEY AND AMY POEHLER MAKE X-RATED LEO DICAPRIO JOKE  

2014 Golden Globes hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler made one of the most risque awards show jokes thus far when they brought The Wolf of Wall Street winner Leonardo DiCaprio onstage.

Wearing wolfish grins, Tina and Amy said: ‘And now, like a supermodel’s vagina, let’s all give a warm welcome to Leonardo DiCaprio.’

Leonardo has, of course, dated a stream of model beauties including Bar Refaeli, Gisele Bundchen and Erin Heatherton. At the time, he was dating Toni Garrn.

But as he made his entrance to the stage to guffaws of laughter from the audience, the actor’s face showed his embarrassment.

Blushing bright red, he then stumbled over his words as he tried to keep a straight face.

Reading the Best Actress in a Drama nominees from the Teleprompter, he misread Judi Dench’s film Philomena as ‘Philomania’.

Despite his blushes Leonardo seemed amused by the joke – just one of many by the comedy duo.

They also made a dig at George Clooney, saying: ‘Gravity is nominated for best film. It’s the story of how George Clooney would rather float away into space and die than spend one more minute with a woman his own age.’

‘DRUNK’ ELIZABETH TAYLOR FORGETS TO READ OUT NOMINEES 

In 2001, Elizabeth Taylor sparked speculation she had indulged in too many cocktails as she took to the stage to announce the Best Motion Picture Drama award – but prematurely opened the winner’s envelope before reading the nominees.

The screen icon was quickly called out on her error by executive producer Dick Clark, with the memorable moment seeing the Oscar winner calling out: ‘What? I don’t open this? I just read it from up there? I’m new at this!’

Clark then went on stage and said: ‘We don’t want to ruin the suspense so let’s read the nominees first.’

Taylor read out the nominees and hilariously quipped: ‘And the winner is… and it’s flashing ‘envelope’…. Gladiator!’

Closing the show, she said: ‘On behalf of the Golden Globes, thank you and goodnight! You all, you all you all! ‘

JACK NICHOLSON GIVES VALIUM-FUELED ACCEPTANCE SPEECH 

Jack Nicholson is known for causing outrageous moments at the Golden Globes.

In 1998 when he won Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for As Good as It Gets he faux-mooned the entire audience.

In 2003 the icon picked up the Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama award for About Schmidt and hilariously revealed during his acceptance speech that he’d popped some Valium beforehand.

Accepting the award from Nicole Kidman, the cheeky actor said: ”Doesn’t Nicole look nice… with her old nose?’ leading the warm applause to fall silent. He was of course referring to the memorable prosthetic she wore to play Virginia Woolf in The Hours.

He added: ‘I don’t know whether to be happy or ashamed because I thought we made a comedy…. Dermot Mulroney’s haircut alone should have made it a comedy!’

Referring to co-star Kathy Bates as ‘The Bates Motel’ he added: ‘I know the evening’s getting short, I took a Valium tonight so…’