Everything to Know About the 81st Golden Globe Awards

To quote Moira Rose, the best season of the year is “awards.” This year’s awards season kicks off with the Golden Globes on Sunday, January 7. Airing on CBS for the first time in over four decades, the 81st ceremony will honor the best works in film and television. Based on the nominations alone—of big names like Natalie Portman and Emma Stone—it is sure to be a star-studded night.

The ceremony—which CBS has not aired since 1982—will be directed by Glenn Weiss, who is also serving as coproducer alongside Ricky Kirshner. Before this year, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association put on the Golden Globes. But a series of boycotts led to the show’s cancellation in 2022: Celebrities protested when it was revealed that there were no Black members of the HFPA, and the uproar brought to light a general lack of diversity within the organization. The HFPA reformed its code of professional and ethical conduct, and the Globes returned in 2023, but in June of that year, the 80-year-old scandal-ridden org announced it was disbanding. This year’s will be the first Golden Globes show aired under new owners Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge Industries.

On December 21, the Globes announced that comedian Jo Koy would host the ceremony—his first-ever gig emceeing a major awards show. The stand-up comic and actor shared the news in a video posted on Instagram and TikTok. “It’s gonna be me, the whole time: your host, Jo Koy,” he said. “And I can’t wait to see you guys there. I love you.”

Going into this year’s ceremony, producer Kirshner has said he is hoping for a forward-looking vibe. “Being the first out of the gate in terms of awards shows and hosting all these movie stars, we need to be positive,” he said. “Everyone’s coming together for the first time. I don’t think we need to look back in the past. We should look at celebrating everyone’s success that night.”

Before you tune in this Sunday, January 7, at 8:00 p.m. EST, read on to find out everything you need to know about the show.


Who is presenting and performing?

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Besides host Koy, the Globes will feature quite the star-studded list of presenters, including Amanda Seyfried, America Ferrera, Andra Day, Angela Bassett, Annette Bening, Ben Affleck, Daniel Kaluuya, Don Cheadle, Dua Lipa, Elizabeth Banks, Florence Pugh, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Gabriel Macht, George Lopez, Hailee Steinfeld, Hunter Schafer, Issa Rae, Jared Leto, Jodie Foster, Jon Batiste, Jonathan Bailey, Julia Garner, Justin Hartley, Kate Beckinsale, Keri Russell, Kevin Costner, Mark Hamill, Matt Damon, Michelle Yeoh, Naomi Watts, Oprah Winfrey, Orlando Bloom, Patrick J. Adams, Ray Romano, Rose McIver, Shameik Moore, Simu Liu, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Will Ferrell.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of A-list nominees this year as well, like Stone and Portman, Pedro Pascal, Elle Fanning, Quinta Brunson, Matt Bomer, Timothée Chalamet, Jennifer Lawrence, Margot Robbie, and Greta Lee. We can expect these stars to make an appearance—and it should be quite the fashionable red carpet.

Who are the projected winners?

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There are many big films nominated this year, from Killers of the Flower Moon to Maestro. However, we think it will be hard for any flick to beat the power of Barbenheimer.

When Barbie and Oppenheimer were released simultaneously this past summer, the films dominated at the box office and both received rave reviews from critics. So we wouldn’t be surprised if Barbie took home the Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy prize, while Oppenheimer claims the Best Motion Picture – Drama award (and numbers shared by the Daily Mail seem to support these results). This would only solidify the two films’ record-shattering year.

As far as television goes, PureWow predicts that Abbott Elementary will win for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, while the final season of Succession will claim the prize for Best Drama. Given the way these two series have dominated at the Emmys, we wouldn’t be surprised by these wins either.

(In case you need more convincing, Barbie and Succession are tied for the most nominations of the night, with nine each, followed by Oppenheimer with eight.)

Are there any new categories this year?

There are, in fact, two new categories this year. In 2024, we will see the debut of Golden Globes for “Cinematic and Box Office Achievement” and “Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television.”

The first new category recognizes films for their popularity at theaters and on streaming platforms. Nominees include: Barbie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, John Wick: Chapter 4, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Oppenheimer, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.

Meanwhile, the nominees in the stand-up category are: Ricky Gervais (Ricky Gervais: Armageddon), Trevor Noah (Trevor Noah: Where Was I), Chris Rock (Chris Rock: Selective Outrage), Amy Schumer (Amy Schumer: Emergency Contact), Sarah Silverman (Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love), and Wanda Sykes (Wanda Sykes: I’m an Entertainer).

How can I tune in?

This year’s ceremony will be airing live at 8:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, January 7, 2024 on CBS, for those watching on cable or broadcast. The program will also stream on Paramount+ and will be available on the CBS app as part of a new deal between the network and the Golden Globes.

As a final option, the ceremony should also be available to watch through a Hulu + Live TV package and other live-TV subscription services, like YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, and Fubo.

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Joel is the editorial and social media assistant for HarpersBAZAAR.com, where he covers all things celebrity news. When he steps away from the keyboard, you can likely find him singing off-key at concerts, scavenging thrift stores for loud wardrobe staples, or perusing bookstores for the next great gay romance novel.