2018 Golden Globes: Winners and losers
The 75th Golden Globes unfolded on January 7, 2018, at The Beverly Hilton, with Seth Meyers hosting under the long shadow of the sexual harassment revelations that had rocked Hollywood since October. The night carried a deliberate restraint. Black attire signaled solidarity with the early #MeToo and Time’s Up efforts, and the evening’s speeches repeatedly returned to the subject of workplace abuse. The awards themselves still had to be handed out, and the night produced both expected results and a few genuine surprises.
Ceremony Details and Atmosphere
The Beverly Hilton ballroom felt more like a press conference than a party. Attendees arrived in coordinated black, and the red carpet interviews quickly turned into statements about accountability. Meyers opened the show with pointed jokes that balanced levity and criticism, and the audience responded with a mix of applause and knowing silence. The mood was purposeful rather than celebratory, a tone that carried through the entire broadcast.
Biggest Winners of the Night
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri collected four awards, the largest haul of the evening. The Shape of Water and Lady Bird each secured two trophies, underlining the strength of both studio and independent fare. Big Little Lies dominated the television side, claiming multiple acting and series honors and confirming its status as the prestige limited series of the moment.
Notable Speeches and Moments
Oprah Winfrey’s Cecil B. DeMille acceptance speech drew the loudest reaction of the night, weaving personal history with a direct call for continued pressure on industry abusers. Several winners used their brief stage time to thank colleagues who had spoken out or to name the broader movement by name. The tone remained measured, but the cumulative effect was unmistakable: the Globes had become one early public forum for the reckoning still unfolding across town.
Legacy and Organizational Changes
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association that ran the Globes would later face sustained criticism over diversity and ethics. Those pressures produced reforms between 2021 and 2023, followed by the organization’s dissolution and acquisition by Eldridge Industries. The 2018 ceremony therefore sits at the start of a longer institutional story that continues to shape how the awards operate today.
Comparison to Later Ceremonies
Subsequent Globes broadcasts reflected both the reforms and the lingering effects of the 2018 moment. The 2018 show predated the major governance changes, yet its emphasis on black attire and open discussion of harassment set a template that later producers referenced. NBC’s broadcast rights, extended through 2027, ensure the ceremony remains a network fixture even as its internal structure has been rewritten.
Best Actress in a Limited Series or Television Movie
Reese Witherspoon, Big Little Lies Jessica Lange, Feud: Bette and Joan Susan Sarandon, Feud: Bette and Joan Jessica Biel, The Sinner WINNER: Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama)
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project Armie Hammer, Call Me by Your Name Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World WINNER: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Actress in a TV Series (Musical/Comedy)
Pamela Adlon, Better Things Alison Brie, GLOW Issa Rae, Insecure Frankie Shaw, SMILF WINNER: Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Best Actress in a TV Series (Drama)
Claire Foy, The Crown Katherine Langford, 13 Reasons Why Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Deuce Caitriona Balfe, Outlander WINNER: Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Best Actor in a TV Series (Drama)
Freddie Highmore, The Good Doctor Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul Jason Bateman, Ozark Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan WINNER: Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Best TV Series (Drama)
This Is Us The Crown Game of Thrones Stranger Things WINNER: The Handmaid’s Tale
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Limited Series or TV Film
Christian Slater, Mr. Robot David Harbour, Stranger Things Alfred Molina, Feud: Bette and Joan David Thewlis, Fargo WINNER: Alexander Skarsgård, Big Little Lies
Best Original Score
Carter Burwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Jonny Greenwood, Phantom Thread John Williams, The Post Hans Zimmer, Dunkirk WINNER: Alexandre Desplat, The Shape of Water
Best Original Song
“Home”, Ferdinand “Mighty River”, Mudbound “Remember Me”, Coco “The Star”, The Star WINNER: “This Is Me”, The Greatest Showman
Best Actor (Comedy/Musical)
Steve Carell, Battle of the Sexes Ansel Elgort, Baby Driver Hugh Jackman, The Greatest Showman Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out WINNER: James Franco, The Disaster Artist
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Limited Series or TV Film
Ann Dowd, The Handmaid’s Tale Chrissy Metz, This Is Us Michelle Pfeiffer, The Wizard of Lies Shailene Woodley, Big Little Lies WINNER: Laura Dern, Big Little Lies
Best Animated Film
The Boss Baby The Breadwinner Ferdinand Loving Vincent WINNER: Coco
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama)
Mary J. Blige, Mudbound Hong Chau, Downsizing Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water WINNER: Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Best Screenplay
The Shape of Water Lady Bird The Post Molly’s Game WINNER: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Foreign Film
A Fantastic Woman First They Killed My Father Loveless The Square WINNER: In the Fade
Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie
Robert De Niro, The Wizard of Lies Kyle MacLachlan, Twin Peaks Jude Law, The Young Pope Geoffrey Rush, Genius WINNER: Ewan McGregor, Fargo
Best TV Series (Comedy)
Black-ish Master of None SMILF Will & Grace WINNER: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Best Actor in a TV Series (Musical/Comedy)
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish Kevin Bacon, I Love Dick William H. Macy, Shameless Eric McCormack, Will & Grace WINNER: Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Best Film Director
Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk Ridley Scott, All the Money in the World Steven Spielberg, The Post WINNER: Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water
Best Miniseries or TV Movie
Feud: Bette and Joan Fargo Top of the Lake: China Girl The Sinner WINNER: Big Little Lies
Best Actress in a Film (Comedy/Musical)
Judi Dench, Victoria & Abdul Margot Robbie, I, Tonya Emma Stone, Battle of the Sexes Helen Mirren, The Leisure Seeker WINNER: Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Best film (Comedy/Musical)
The Disaster Artist Get Out The Greatest Showman I, Tonya WINNER: Lady Bird
Best Actor (Drama)
Timothée Chalamet, Call Me by Your Name Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq. Tom Hanks, The Post Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread WINNER: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Best Actress (Drama)
Jessica Chastain, Molly’s Game Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water Meryl Streep, The Post Michelle Williams, All the Money in the World WINNER: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Film (Drama)
Dunkirk The Post The Shape of Water Call Me by Your Name WINNER: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
The 2018 Globes captured a specific hinge moment. The lists above preserve the night’s results; the surrounding context shows how an awards show became an early public ledger of a movement still reshaping the industry years later.
