Most awkward Golden Globes moments of all time: from Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, to Leonardo DiCaprio and Lady Gaga

The 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards take place this Sunday, January 7


Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman attend the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards - Arrivals at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.
On 7 January 2024

The Golden Globe Awards may have the glitziest gowns and the most emotional speeches, but sometimes, they can also birth pure internet gold.

Over the past 80 ceremonies, the annual celebration of the best in film and TV has birthed some awkward moments that have made audiences at home squirm and become iconic as time goes by.

Here are some of the most awkward moments in Golden Globes history…

WATCH: Golden Globes 2024 highlights
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Leonardo DiCaprio giving Lady Gaga the side-eye

Arguably the moment that popularized the art form of the GIF, when Lady Gaga headed up the stage in 2016 to accept her Globe for her performance in American Horror Story, little did she know it would leave the nearby Leonardo DiCaprio unusually perturbed by her appearance.

Leo clarified, though, that he reacted the way he did because he "just didn't know what was passing" by in an interview with ET that same night.

MORE: Golden Globes 2024: all you need to know including nominations, who's hosting and how to watch

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Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's failure to launch kiss

While Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban never shy away from the PDA, their celebration for the former's Globe win in 2018 went a little awry when the actress tried to kiss her musician husband, and all she got was the back of his neck by accident.

MORE: Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman look besotted during loved-up reunion in Sydney – see photo

Thankfully, he landed a peck as she walked on stage, and toward the end of her speech, she gushed: "Keith Urban, when my cheek is against yours, everything melts away. And that is love."

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Tina Fey and Amy Poehler roasting George Clooney

When eternal bachelor George Clooney married lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2014, a power couple was born. But not before 2015 Golden Globe hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler got one last dig in.

MORE: Why George and Amal Clooney share a special bond according to expert

During their opening monologue, they said: "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." Well!

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Emma Stone's awkward three-way congratulatory hug

When Damien Chazelle won Best Screenplay for La La Land in 2017, star Emma Stone got up to give him a hug…at the same time as he went into hug his wife Olivia Hamilton.

This immediately resulted in an awkward three-way hug (while Ryan Gosling slyly watched from behind), although both Emma and Olivia immediately noticed and quickly apologized to each other and shrugged it off.

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James Franco stops Tommy Wiseau from taking the mic

In 2018, James Franco won Best Actor for portraying the eccentric Tommy Wiseau in the semi-autobiographical The Disaster Artist, and called the man himself on stage during his speech.

After hugging the actor, Tommy reached for the microphone to deliver a speech of his own, when he was promptly pushed aside by James as his brother and co-star Dave Franco broke into a laugh beside him. It's all good, though, as Tommy later called it a "funny moment."

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Ryan Reynolds' beach-ready tan

While this wasn't necessarily an awkward incident to take place on-screen, in 2017, when presenting Best Supporting Actor with Emma Stone (post hug-gate), Ryan Reynolds' appearance sparked reaction.

MORE: Ryan Reynolds' unexpected gift from Blake Lively is branded an 'assault' by bemused actor – details

Specifically, social media users went in on his supposedly intense tan, putting his skin at a few shades more orange than his usual tone, and the Deadpool actor didn't escape the night unscathed.

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Jimmy Fallon's teleprompter gaff

Right into the 2017 Globes (that ceremony sure was a doozy, huh?), host Jimmy Fallon experienced some unfortunate yet familiar technical difficulties when his teleprompter failed.

Ever the consummate professional, the late night host immediately acknowledged the problem and continued to monologue his way for the next few minutes, although did fumble about a bit. Thankfully, the problem resolved itself soon, and he thanked his stars that he "didn't trip already."

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Renée Zellweger's badly-timed bathroom break

In 2001, Renée Zellweger won Best Actress for her role in Nurse Betty, but when Hugh Grant called out the award, the future two-time Oscar winner was nowhere to be seen. As he comically perused the audience about her whereabouts, even joking she was under the table at one point, he was told she was in the bathroom.

Eventually, a producer asked him to accept on her behalf, but just as he began to, lo and behold, Renée returned, flustered and emotional, quickly explaining that she wanted to remove lipstick from her teeth and launching into her passionate speech.

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