On January 10th, 2023, the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton was taking place. Where the contributors to films in 2022 gathered to collect awards for their outstanding achievements, arriving in attire suitable for the grand and classy event. Millions of people watch as talented celebrities receive the Golden Globe Awards.

The Golden Globe Awards began in 1944, created by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Marina Cisternas, who was the president of the group from 1945-1946, was the one who suggested the idea of a shiny globe to award distinguished films. The first Golden Globes honored the achievements in 1943 filmmaking and was first given to a producer and director, Cecil B. DeMille. Today it has elaborated and now there are 27 categories for recognizing achievements in filmmaking and television. 

This year was the 80th anniversary of the golden globes directors, actors, and actresses received golden globes for their hard work. Some of the awards included Best Director, Best Actor (Drama), and Best Actress (Drama). Steven Spielberg, for The Fabelmans, won Best Director. He is a legend in Hollywood and has won 3 golden globes previously and been nominated for 20. “The Fabelmans” was his semi-autobiographical film and shared his story, “I’ve been hiding from this story since I was 17 years old. I put a lot of things in my way of this story”. Cate Blanchett received the award for best actress (Drama) for her lead role in the film Tár directed by Todd Field. She is an Australian actress and played the lead role in the movie, Lydia Tár. She was not able to attend the event but her award was received by British actor, Henry Golding, on her behalf. Lastly, famous American actor, Austin Butler, won best actor (Drama) for his lead role as Elvis Presley in the Elvis movie. Butler had dedicated himself to truly embodying the role of Elvis, so much so that Elvis’s southern accent still lingers in the actor’s voice, and because of his hard work, the movie became a huge success as it has accumulated more than $284 million worldwide. As he finished his acceptance speech he showed the crowd his admiration for Elvis, “You were an icon and a rebel, and I love you so much!” Butler crowed, pointing toward the sky. “You are remembered, and I will never forget!”. 

Although the night was celebratory for most, some moments sparked controversy, such as actor Evan Peters receiving a golden globe award for best actor in a limited series. Evan Peters received the reward for his lead role in Monster- The Jeffrey Dahmer Story playing serial killer, Jeffery Dahmer. The show itself caused controversy all over the media. Some loved the show and found it interesting while others found it extremely disturbing and found it wrong to showcase the serial killer once again. Family members of the victims were also enraged when their loved one’s traumatic story was exploited again, without their permission. Peters seemingly tried to make the best out of the situation as he received his award, knowing millions hated him for it, by thanking the contributors to the show. Also, by unveiling his acknowledgment of it being a problematic show., “It was a difficult one to make, a difficult one to watch, but I sincerely hope some good came out of it.”. While many agreed his performance was outstanding in the show, it also seemed wrong to reward someone who felt it was wrong to honor even an actor playing Dahmer. The victim’s family members were also outraged, specifically Shirley Hughes, mother of 31-year-old Tony Hughes who was murdered by Dahmer. She had an interview with TMZ and expressed that she wishes Peters had used his speech to mention the families affected by the murders today. 

The 80th annual Golden Globes Awards was a fantastic night, dedicated and talented film contributors received their dues for their hard work. Though the event was not ideal, what is a Hollywood event without being problematic?